Spencer Korwin represented the United States at the 2012 Triathlon World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand, a proud moment in his athletic career. Away from the sport, the 38-year-old was a loving husband and father of two. He would leave little notes around the house for his daughters to make sure they always knew how much he loved them. Sadly, his daughters will now have no new notes to find from their father after he tragically drowned on September 2 during a family vacation on Shelter Island.
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Just four days later, his wife, Carly, stood in front of family and friends at Temple Israel in Manhattan to say goodbye to her husband. Through tears, she struggled to accept that the man she loved was gone forever.
“This is a nightmare. This is the worst day of my life. I can’t accept that this is real and that Spencer is not going to come home,” Carly said through sobs.
She remembered Korwin as much more than an athlete. “Spencer was more than I could ever have dreamed of when it came to a husband, a father, and a friend. He was the best human I have ever met, and he was the love of my life,” she said.
“We had the most beautiful and special once-in-a-lifetime type of love, and we knew it,” she added.
The couple who began dating years after they both graduated from Syracuse University had built a life together and dreamed of spending many more years as a family.
“We always said forever isn’t long enough. And I will never be able to make sense as to why this incredible life we built together, filled with happiness and so much love, was ripped away from us in an instant,” she said.
Among the memories Carly will carry with her are the small gestures that once seemed like an ordinary part of their family life. Korwin regularly wrote notes for Carly and their daughters and left them around their apartment. “He was filled with surprises and hugs just because.”
He had also arranged automated messages to be sent to Carly twice a day. Those simple messages were once part of their everyday life, but everything changed during one morning on their family vacation.
Korwin had traveled to Shelter Island with Carly and their two daughters for a family getaway. They were staying at The Pridwin Hotel, a waterfront property on the island. On Wednesday, September 2, Korwin went for a morning swim. At around 8 a.m., he entered the water from the hotel’s private dock in the Shelter Island Sound, near Crescent Beach and the North Channel.
He went into the water alone. When he did not return after several hours, Carly became concerned and alerted hotel staff. Emergency services were contacted around noon, and a major search began. Shelter Island police and firefighters joined EMS crews and fire departments from East Marion, Greenport, Southold and Orient. Southold Town Police marine and dive teams, drone units and the U.S. Coast Guard also took part in the search.
Crews searched the Crescent Beach-North Channel area and surrounding waterways for any sign of Korwin. Around 3 p.m., after hours of searching, divers found him underwater near the same hotel dock where he had entered the water. He was recovered and pronounced dead. The circumstances surrounding the drowning remain under investigation.
Officials believe Korwin died in an accidental drowning; the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office is expected to determine the official cause and manner of death. As his family waits for those answers, his life can also be remembered through the athletic career and work that meant so much to him.
From Team USA to a life beyond triathlon
Korwin reached the international stage in 2012 when he qualified for Team USA Triathlon through the USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships. He went on to represent the United States at the Age-Group Triathlon World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand, competing in the men’s 20-24 sprint event. He finished 36th in his age group with a time of 1:20:43.
His time in competitive triathlon also included first-place finishes at the Montauk Point Lighthouse Triathlon and the Mighty Montauk Sprint Triathlon. His dedication to the sport helped him earn a sponsorship with Gatorade in 2012, a partnership that lasted for five years. After his competitive days, Korwin continued to be involved in fitness and wellness.
In 2018, Korwin became an investor and adviser with athletic apparel company Ten Thousand. He then went on to start Korwin Health & Wellness in 2021, remaining in the industry he had been in for years. He worked with children in keeping them active, too. Kamp Korwin was created during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when many children’s summer plans were cancelled, and was rolled out at Southampton. The outdoor camp was held from late June to Labor Day weekend and was for boys and girls ages 8-18.
The camp provided the children with an opportunity to enjoy their summer outside, participating in activities like kayaking, paddleboarding, and water skiing. It was another side of Korwin that went beyond the athlete people knew. That same love for the outdoors was something his friends and family remembered about him. He enjoyed boating, camping, kayaking, skiing, and surfing, and those interests remained part of the life he built with his family. Now, those memories are among the pieces of his life that Carly and their two young daughters will carry with them.