What happened at the ‘death’ marathon in China?

The tragedy sparked public outrage on Chinese social media, mainly targeting local authorities and condemning the organizers’ lack of contingency plans.

Two of China’s top track and field athletes were among 21 people who died due to extreme weather during a 100km race in Gansu province on May 22. Those are two names that are no longer strange in the world of athletics: Luong Tinh, a super-marathon champion, and Hoang Quan Quan, a deaf long-distance runner. “We have lost the masters of this sport. This is an earthquake for our sport,” wrote one Weibo user. Luong Tinh in an earlier race in Hong Kong. Photo: Sportograf. Athletes had a hard time when the race was interrupted by temperatures dropping to freezing. Survivors said the weather forecast said there would be wind and rain, but did not mention anything as extreme as what they experienced. The mountain race had to be stopped when some of the 172 runners went missing, and a major rescue operation was launched. The regional government was heavily criticized for not having a contingency plan. China’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said that some local officials had put profit above safety, which led to the tragedy that left 21 people dead. Great loss Luong Tinh is one of China’s most successful ultra-marathon runners and is fondly called “Saint Liang” or “General Liang” because of his ability. The 31-year-old has won many long-distance races in the country, including the Ultra Gobi in 2018 – a 400 km race through the Gobi desert. According to pictures taken near the start of the race on May 22, which were widely circulated on Chinese media, he was only wearing shorts, a light jacket and a cap. By the time he was found by rescuers, he was already showing no signs of life. According to pictures taken near the start of the race on May 22, which were widely circulated on Chinese media, Luong Tinh was only wearing shorts, a thin jacket and a cap when running. Photo: Weibo. On Chinese social media, fans mourned his death, describing it as a “huge loss” for the country. “Without General Salary leading the way, who will the other super marathoners look to?”, one commented. Another victim, Hoang Quan Quan, 34, is known for winning the deaf men’s marathon at China’s 2019 National Paralympic Games. According to local media, he is a native of Sichuan, became deaf at the age of one after a “drug accident”, and also cannot speak. He did not excel in his studies and struggled to get a steady job. He often had financial difficulties and had to eat instant noodles for a meal. But what he does best is run, so he competed in races for years in hopes of winning the prize money. The May 22 race rewards runners 1,600 yuan ($248) each if they complete the run. Local media reported that after learning of his death, a friend of Hoang Quan Quan cried thinking about what he may have suffered in his final moments of life. “He’s deaf and can’t speak, he can’t even call for help,” said the unnamed friend. What happened at the race? On social networks are appearing more and more sharing about this race. The race starts at 9am on May 22. One survivor said the weather forecast caught them off guard. He felt that the weather was not normal that day, but the participants were not wearing warm enough clothes, many of them wearing short clothes. “I ran 2 km before starting to warm up… but the problem is that after running this 2 km, my body still hasn’t heated up,” the contestant said on her WeChat account. About three hours after the race started, the mountain track area of ​​the race experienced hail, heavy rain and high winds, causing temperatures to plummet, according to officials in the nearby city of Baiyin. A runner named Mao Shuzhi told Reuters : “The rain was getting heavier and heavier, at that time I had run about 24 km and had not reached the mountain.” She decided to go back to the hotel, and had been struggling with severe hypothermia on the way back. “At first, I regretted it, thinking it might just be a shower, but when I saw the gusts of wind and the big storm through my hotel room window when I returned, I felt so lucky because decided to come back.” Many athletes were stranded, cold and lost their way due to the weather affecting visibility. Rescue crews at the scene. Photo: AFP. An unnamed runner quoted by The Cover described the freezing rain as “bullets in the face”. He said there was a particularly steep section of the mountain and the open ground had nowhere to hide. “The rain really hurt, and the wind was so strong that you had to close your eyes,” he said. He added that even if someone brought a thermal blanket, it would be ripped apart by strong winds. Some of the runners who ran further fell off the trail into deep ravines. It is unclear how many of them survived. State media said a rescue operation involving more than 1,200 people with the help of thermal imaging drones and radar detectors had been launched. But rescue efforts have come too late for many victims. The incident has sparked public outrage on Chinese social media, mainly aimed at the Baiyin government and condemning the organizers’ lack of contingency plans. At a press conference on May 23, Mayor of Baiyin, Zhang Xuchen – who also fired the starting shot of the race – said: “As the organizers of the event, we feel guilty and We express our deepest condolences and sympathies to the families of the victims and those injured.”