Local authorities immediately organized multiple rescue forces to search for them. The extremely cold weather caused discomfort and hypothermia among marathoners, resulting in some losing communication and the race being suspended. I couldn't open my eyes in the strong wind," recalled the runner who calls himself Liuluo Nanfang. "The wind wrapped around the raindrops hitting my face like dense bullets, it really hurt. However, the weather changed abruptly afterwards.Īfter 10:30 am, 90 minutes into the race, the sporadic raindrops became dense. "The morning was breezy and sunny, and there was even a hint of warmth in front of the starting line," according the athletes. One of the runners recalled online what he had experienced during the race. As the weather suddenly changed, the temperature on the mountain had sharply dropped close to 0 degree Celsius. CCTV quoted rescuers as saying that low temperature was the biggest threat faced by the runners, since most wore thin clothes. The unexpected extreme weather, including strong wind and freezing rain, is seen as the direct cause of the tragedy which occurred on Saturday. Is the weather forecast of the event accurate enough for the race? Are emergency response plans adequate? If the organizers had called off the race or if athletes had quit soon after extreme weather hit, could the tragedy have been prevented? Other relevant parties are calling for lessons to be drawn from the tragedy to ensure the safety of ultramarathon event in the future.Īs an event that has been held for three times in the past, questions are lingering online. ![]() The local government has formed a team for an in-depth investigation on the cause of the incident. Zhang Xuchen, mayor of Baiyin City, Gansu Province, apologized for the tragedy on Sunday and expressed deep condolences to the families of the victims. ![]() Some insiders have called the day "the darkest day in China's trail running history." Of all the 172 race participants, 151 have been confirmed safe with eight hospitalized but in stable conditions, while 21 were found dead, the People's Daily reported on Sunday.Īmong the 21 dead, there are many well-known names in the field of trail running, including Liang Jing, Asia's point leader at International Trail Running Association (ITRA) and Huang Guanjun, China's top paralympic runner. In one of the deadliest tragedies in China's marathon competition history, 21 people were confirmed dead on Sunday due to extreme cold weather in a 100-kilometer mountain race held in Northwest China's Gansu Province, including two of the country's best long-distance runners. Rescue team members searching for missing marathon runners in the Yellow River Stone Forest tourist site in Jingtai county, Baiyin, Northwest China's Gansu Province.
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