What was to be a routine competition and a fun family getaway for a Roswell triathlete and his family ended in tragedy Saturday morning in Florida.

Patrick Kane, 38, stopped and flipped onto his back during the swimming leg of the Gulf Coast Triathlon, was pulled from the water and died en route to a hospital.

Kane was swimming in the Gulf of Mexico in the 1.2-mile first leg of the swimming, running and bicycling race.

Family members, many of whom were in Panama City Beach for the competition, were stunned.

"He was a big, strapping guy, and an avid triathlete," said Kane's mother-in-law Nancy Gaines of Novato, Calif. Contacted by phone Saturday night, Gaines said her son-in-law had no known health issues.

A sales manager with Hilti Co., a construction equipment company, Kane finished the Gulf Coast race last year with a time of 6 hours, 5 minutes, 35 seconds.

His wife Kristin and their 5- and 7-year-old sons were at this year's race, along with his parents, his brother and his brother's family, Gaines said.

"They were all there on vacation," she said. "It was supposed to be a good time."

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Lt. Stan Kirkland said officials from his agency were called to the scene at about 8 a.m. Saturday to help in the rescue effort.

At the time, the weather in Panama City was misty, with a temperature of 76 degrees and westerly winds of 9 m.p.h.

Kane's death cast a pale over the event. Race director Shelley Bramblett called it a "tragic incident."

Gaines said Kristin Kane called to tell her what happened as Patrick Kane was being taken to the hospital. "Pat didn't survive the ambulance trip," Gaines said.

She said an autopsy has been scheduled for Monday to determine what caused his death.

This year's Gulf Coast Triathlon drew 1,800 athletes from 36 states and 15 countries, according to its Web site. Participants start on the beach and swim one loop over a 1.2-mile open-water swim, then exit the water to run on land. Participants run for 13.1 miles and bicycle for 56 miles.

Researcher Sharon Gaus and the Associated Press contributed to this story.