Eyewitness accounts of the ‘death’ marathon in China

The marathon in China over the weekend turned into a tragedy when more than 20 participants died, including the country’s top athletes.
At least 21 athletes died while participating in the 100 km cross-country run in the mountains in Gansu province, China over the weekend. They were stuck in the cold without protective gear, according to South China Morning Post.

This is one of the deadliest accidents in Chinese sports history. The incident caused public outrage because of the poor management of the Baiyin city government. Rescuers had to walk up the mountainside to search for victims. Photo: Xinhua News Agency. Terrible moment The athletes departed on the morning of May 22 from the Yellow River Stone Forest Park, Baiyin City. This is an annual event organized by the authorities of Canh Thai district and Bach Ngan city to develop rural areas and promote healthy lifestyles. Nearly 10,000 people registered for this year’s event. Participants are divided into three categories: beginner, 21 km cross country and 100 km cross country. The bad weather occurred around 1 p.m., when the runners climbed 2,000 meters in the 20-31 km stage of the race, according to Xinhua News Agency. Participating athletes wear only shorts and t-shirts. Therefore, these people have little ability to protect the body from the low temperature of the surrounding environment. When witnessing some athletes having trouble, the organizers canceled the event and deployed rescue. At that time, some people had hypothermia. Some others passed out from being too cold. A total of 21 people were killed and 151 were rescued. In an interview with SCMP , one survivor said there was no forecast of severe weather. The cold also exacerbates the challenges of the mountainous terrain. The athletes departed on the morning of May 22. Photo: Weibo/Xinhua News Agency. This person said he still tries to run when the weather turns bad. On the way, he witnessed people fall one by one, even experienced athletes. Before the contest started, the organizers asked each person to contribute 1,600 yuan (US$248) to register. That’s when he decided to join. “Now, every time I recall that thought, I just want to slap myself,” he wrote in a social media post. He said that in one part of the competition, the contestants had to run uphill for a distance of 8 km. The road surface is covered with rocks and mud while the sky is cloudy, strong winds, heavy rain and limited visibility. “From this point on, there is only one way up, no one down. Motorcycles can’t get on that road, so there’s no food or water,” he wrote. “I was completely drenched and could barely stand. I tried to find a hiding spot and tried to warm myself up with a flimsy thermal blanket, but was immediately blown away by the wind. I saw other people’s blankets torn to pieces by the wind.” Another athlete said he couldn’t feel his fingers. “I put my fingers in my mouth to warm it up but I still can’t feel anything. Even my tongue feels frozen,” he said. “That’s when I decided to give up and run downhill because I realized it was hypothermia. It was wise and fortunate that I made that decision.” He also saw many other contestants pass out on the way down. However, he did not have the strength to help others. It is difficult to track other athletes because the GPS signal is very poor. In addition to hypothermia, some athletes also cut their hands and fall. Late regret According to the Xinhua News Agency , rescue efforts were hampered by high altitude and bad weather. Among the dead were Luong Tinh and Hoang Quan Quan. These are two of China’s top long-distance runners. Luong Tinh won China’s Ultra Gobi in 2018 and finished second in the Hong Kong 100 super-trail race in 2019. Meanwhile, Hoang Quan Quan is the Olympic marathon champion. Paralympic Paralympics 2019 in Dubai. Yellowstone Forest Park, where the tragedy happened. Photo: Handout. Zhang Xuchen, the chairman of Baiyin City, bowed his head to apologize to the victims’ families. “This is an unexpected incident due to the sudden change in the weather in the area. As an event organizer, we are extremely sorry and regretful. We apologize and offer our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and the injured athletes,” he said. The Gansu provincial government has set up a task force to monitor the investigation. In a comment, state broadcaster CCTV insisted extreme sports should be carefully organized to avoid such a rare and devastating tragedy. Marathons and ultra-long distance running have become popular in China in recent years, attracting participation from the country’s growing middle class. Races are held in remote areas with huge prize money to attract participants. The governments of regions in western China such as Yunnan, Gansu and Sichuan have set aside funds to organize running competitions to attract and develop tourism.