![]() ![]() ![]() The race, which began at a tourist site near the Yellow River and followed a route through canyons with huge stone stalagmites, had been organized by the local government for the past four years. ![]() He did not respond to a request for comment left on his social media account. He said he was able to make it to safety and met a rescue crew. When he finally decided to turn back, he already felt dazed. but the troublesome thing was, after running these 2 kilometers, my body still had not heated up," one competitor said in a first-person account that has been viewed more than 100,000 times on his WeChat account "Wandering about the South." He later said to the Paper, a state-backed newspaper based in Shanghai, that the forecast the day prior to the race did not predict the extreme weather they encountered. "I ran 2 kilometers before the starting gun fired to warm up. The region is prone to mudslides and floods. Zhang said the rescue efforts had been complicated by a landslide after the rain. Eight people were being treated at a hospital. Officials said 151 race participants were confirmed to be safe, and that one last missing runner was found dead Sunday morning. This year, 172 people participated in the race, while hundreds of others were registered to run in shorter events. In video footage from China's state broadcaster, rescuers could be seen fanning out into the dark with flashlights, some in combat fatigues, others in blue or orange jumpsuits with helmets. By evening, officials had started a huge rescue effort involving 1,200 people in search and rescue teams, along with thermal imaging drones and other equipment, state media reported. Some of the participants sent a video message asking for help, and authorities sent a rescue team that assisted 18 of the athletes, Zhang said. Runners dressed in shorts and T-shirts were suddenly facing freezing conditions, and rain turned to hail. Hours into the event Saturday, the weather suddenly deteriorated as the runners were climbing 6,500 feet above sea level to the 12-mile mark, according to Zhang Xuchen, the mayor of the nearby city of Baiyin. The deaths prompted anger in China, with online commentators questioning the preparedness of the local government that organized the race, held at Yellow River Stone Forest Park in Gansu province. Liang Jing, 31, an ultramarathon champion, and Huang Guanjun, the winner of the men's marathon for hearing-impaired runners at China's 2019 National Paralympic Games, were among those found dead, according to state news media. Twenty-one people, including two of China's top marathon athletes, died after freezing rain and high winds struck a 62-mile mountain race in northwestern China, local officials said Sunday. Freezing weather kills runners at Chinese race ![]()
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