• For more information on how to avoid pop-up ads and still support SkiTalk click HERE.

21 Ultramarathon Runners Die in Storm Racing in China

Thread Starter
TS
James

James

Out There
Instructor
Joined
Dec 2, 2015
Posts
24,455
Agreed... I was imagining this would be a road race, but it sounds like it was cross-country, which would make it a lot easier to get off course.

I don’t think anyone was off course. It’s a 100km race much of it on dirt trails. They do the same in the US I think.
 

dbostedo

Asst. Gathermeister
Moderator
Contributor
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Feb 9, 2016
Posts
18,097
Location
75% Virginia, 25% Colorado
I don’t think anyone was off course. It’s a 100km race much of it on dirt trails. They do the same in the US I think.
From this section of the article, I assumed people got off the course:

"Many runners reportedly lost their way on the route as the weather affected visibility.
More than 1,200 rescuers were deployed, assisted by thermal-imaging drones and radar detectors, according to state media."
 

Wendy

Resurrecting the Oxford comma
Admin
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Mar 13, 2016
Posts
4,905
Location
Santa Fe, New Mexico
They were ultramarathoners doing a race similar to the US’s Leadville 100. My nephew’s wife is from that region of China, and it’s mountainous and the weather can turn on a dime, much like it can in the Rockies. The runners of this race were dressed in shorts and light shirts, and perhaps light jackets, but had nothing else. The temps dropped suddenly when it started pouring rain, and most suffered hypothermia.

A shepherd rescued some of the runners and brought them to a cave that he used as an emergency shelter.

Shepherd hailed for saving six in deadly Chinese ultramarathon https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-57227248

Apparently the weather forecast did not indicate such a severe turn, but still, race organizers have been heavily criticized for having no contingency plans.
 
Thread Starter
TS
James

James

Out There
Instructor
Joined
Dec 2, 2015
Posts
24,455
I guess off course or on is a little irrevelant if there’s no difference. It’s not like the course had yurts with hot tea every mile.
I mean let em die I guess. They certainly organized the thing that way.

Baring another earthquake and avalanche at Everest Base Camp, there will not be 21 people killed there this year.

I can’t imagine holding a 58 mile race in say New Hampshire through the Presidential range without requiring a hooded raincoat, rain pants, a warm layer, some food and water. Minimum. Real stuff too, not some 20 gm plastic thing. No one with any experience in that area would organize such a thing.

Experienced people died too. Just unbelievable.
 
Last edited:

dbostedo

Asst. Gathermeister
Moderator
Contributor
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Feb 9, 2016
Posts
18,097
Location
75% Virginia, 25% Colorado
I guess off course or on is a little irrevelant if there’s no difference.
Well I don't know how well defined these courses are. But I'd imagine the difference is that if everyone was on-course, the rescue would have been easier/quicker, and maybe some folks would have been saved.
 

scott43

So much better than a pro
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
13,552
Location
Great White North
So I volunteered at a marathon some years ago..we were tasked with getting the "luggage" from the competitors to the finish line and the race was in mid May I believe. I thought, what's the big deal about getting luggage to the finish line quickly? As I thought that, it dawned on me that the weather that day was a sort of typical cool day of May for us..around 50F with a good breeze. The race had several different races combined..so 5K, 10K, half-marathon, marathon, tiered starts. So blahblah, we got the finish line about 15 mins after the first finishers had completed their run. So they had been standing around in 50F weather in a 10-15mph breeze for 15 mins or 20 mins. Anyway, it was a thing. The temp drop for the competitors was pretty significant and there were some words passed.

I guess my point is, if you're promised something by the organizer, you count on those things. If it's obvious you're not getting support or question the support ability of the organizer, probably better to make your own plans... I have no idea what the expectation was of the competitors or organizers in China...but it's a terrible outcome.
 

Wendy

Resurrecting the Oxford comma
Admin
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Mar 13, 2016
Posts
4,905
Location
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Yeah, several of the dead were champion ultramarathoners. It’s not like they were inexperienced.
Rainpants and a raincoat would be way too hot to run that distance, even in 40 degree weather. It’s amazing how much body heat you can generate in a long run. Overheating can be bad, too.

Marathons are different from ultra trail races....in a regular marathon, it’s easy to have ambulances and medical crew, plus water and food stations along the course. I don’t know how aid stations are set up for trail races, but it seemed as if there wasn’t anything at that race in China.

I remember running a half marathon in Lake Placid. Now this is only a little over 13 miles, so nothing compared to an ultramarathon, especially one that was off road. Anyway, the weather started out partly sunny, with temperatures in the 50’s..perfect weather for a long run. But, rain was expected along with dropping temperatures. Indeed, it did rain, and the temperatures plummeted, and the rain turned to sleet. Luckily we had only 4-5 more miles to go. But it was pretty chilly. I can’t remember exactly how I dressed....I think I had a lightweight long sleeved wool, hooded base layer and capri length tights. I didn’t feel unprepared for the change in weather And despite the cold, my body stayed fairly warm. Also, we were on a road. Anyone with an emergency would’ve been able to get help fairly quickly.

Some of the people who survived in the Chinese race turned around once the weather tanked. But, those super competitive, high-ranked athletes...they are so focused and used to pushing through pain and discomfort. I can see how their refusal to give up ultimately ended their lives.
 
Thread Starter
TS
James

James

Out There
Instructor
Joined
Dec 2, 2015
Posts
24,455
They carry the stuff in a backpack. No big deal. You make them all carry the same weight or close. Not complicated
Or just let them die. It’s ridiculous.
The entire sport would probably be finished due to lawsuits if that hsppened here.
 

scott43

So much better than a pro
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
13,552
Location
Great White North
Or you do laps right? I know some friends do the Vermont 100 mile race and I'm pretty sure it's laps of a course. If it's point to point, well, it's kind of a survival race isn't it?
 

ScottB

Making fresh tracks
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Oct 29, 2016
Posts
2,166
Location
Gloucester, MA
I haven't done any of those type of races, but I have read a few articles about them and listened to a podcast with a women ultramarathoner as the guest being interviewed. In the US, most courses have some degree of lapping, and there are aid stations planned along the course, spaced as needed. They can run through the night, so the runners leave "provisions" at the appropriate aid station. It sounds like this race didn't have close enough aid stations, the weather became life threatening very fast, and maybe the course was hard to follow with limited visibility. Kind of the perfect storm to expose the lack of proper planning and contingencies.

This in now way compares, but I went on a three day hike with some friends in warm weather in the White Mtn's and it snowed at night and we were miserable and just hiked back out in the morning and called it quits. Sounds like once the runners hit a certain point in the course, the hike back out was fatal in a tee shirt and shorts. Very sad.
 
Thread Starter
TS
James

James

Out There
Instructor
Joined
Dec 2, 2015
Posts
24,455
It’s an intense area. Looks like if you’re in the mountains there is no shelter other than random caves. Which is how like 6 of them survived thanks to a shepard who happened to be up there at the time.

0223AEF4-D691-4F9E-B00C-0908F1D701BE.jpeg

www.chinadaily.com.cn/m/gansu/baiyin/2013-12/14/content_17154135.htm

Bunch of the top competitors got killed-
———————
Of the lead six competitors, only one – Zhang Xiaotao – reportedly survived. In a post on Weibo, Zhang described overtaking Huang, who was both speech and hearing impaired, on the mountain as the weather began to turn. He also described running with Wu Pan-rong who was in fifth place, for a time, supporting each other before they were separated. Wu is also reported to be among the dead.

Zhang said he fell several times, and at one point “could not get up”. He said he covered himself with the emergency blanket and set off his GPS locator before passing out.

He said he was rescued by a shepherd who had wrapped him in a blanket and carried him to a nearby cave, where several other runners were sheltering.
——————————
www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/24/china-ultramarathon-inquiry-launched-after-21-runners-die-in-cold-weather

 

Wendy

Resurrecting the Oxford comma
Admin
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Mar 13, 2016
Posts
4,905
Location
Santa Fe, New Mexico
I think we are disregarding the psychology of such a runner. It’s kind of like a free climber. Part of the draw is assuming the risk and taking on this huge challenge without much aid. Runners support one another. Once you start the race, an intense form of determination sets in, and it‘s mind over matter. The brains of these athletes THRIVE on intense risk. Taken to the extreme, this mindset can create judgment lapses. And hypothermia can itself create such judgment lapses.

Although this doesn’t compare to an ultramarathon, it helps me understand this mindset: When I was younger, I was involved in a lot of endurance sports. I did long bike races which involved pushing through a lot of pain and discomfort, sometimes in shitty weather, and for periods, on lonely roads. And, I’ve done lots of long hikes/backpacks in remote areas (before GPS or cell phones were a thing). I’ve gotten stuck on 4WD roads in southern Utah after a heavy rain and had to wait it out overnight. So I kind of understand that mindset and I respect it. (In skiing, I don’t like assuming as much risk and I call it quits when I’m not feeling great).

Then there’s China....which adds a whole other layer:

Safety as we know it is sort of a foreign concept in China. Driving on their roads is an easy way to discover this. I remember after a 2005 visit there, I often thought a cool video game would’ve been just DRIVING in China....dodging vehicles, rickshaws, bicycles, people on tractors modified to be regular vehicles, pedestrians, etc. It was a free-for-all and a hair-raising experience.

Of course, none of these observations relieve the Chinese race organizers of their responsibility to have set up advance rescue plans for that ultramarathon.
 
Last edited:

François Pugh

Skiing the powder
Skier
Joined
Nov 17, 2015
Posts
7,617
Location
Great White North (Eastern side currently)
And hypothermia can itself create such judgment lapses.
I think you nailed the mindset. This is a real competition, not one of those wimpy iron-man things.
Also quoted for truth, we can all suffer from hypothermia before we know it and make bad decisions (says the guy who decided to ride his motorcycle home at double the speed so as to get home in half the time, so he wouldn't succumb to hypothermia in the cold rain, with plenty of nearby shelter available).
 
Thread Starter
TS
James

James

Out There
Instructor
Joined
Dec 2, 2015
Posts
24,455
Once you start the race, an intense form of determination sets in, and it‘s mind over matter. The brains of these athletes THRIVE on intense risk. Taken to the extreme, this mindset can create judgment lapses. And hypothermia can itself create such judgment lapses.
This is almost exactly what happens climbing Mt Everest or other 8000m peaks. It can become difficult to separate “try harder, overcome”, which is necessary because most feel miserable all the time, from “it really is time to turn around”. But up there usually other people are around to communicate with and tell you to turn around. Even with that people ignore the advice and die. Often ordinary people, but they’ve spent 10 years saving the money to climb, it’s expensive, and this is their shot.

But this is why I say this race is setup for “let them die”. Because this is what they’ll do, keep going till it’s too late. If the sport is ok with this Russian Roulette system, they should just continue.

Setting up a rescue system along 60 miles of remote territory is pretty difficult. How much would the entry fee be then? Even volunteers need to be fed etc. You’d also need done system to cancel the race and let each person know. Otherwise, they’ll still keep going.

The only way to keep it fair is to require everyone to have the same approved survival gear. Otherwise there’ll always be people to go without, and win when the spin of the cylinder comes up empty. Others won’t be so lucky.

If China actually starts caring you easily could have more restrictions than anywhere else. Likely they would have to be embarassed over the situation.
This control is already starting to happen on the Tibet side of Mt Everest. Chinese control is now going way beyond permits, embedding their Sherpas in teams.
 

scott43

So much better than a pro
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
13,552
Location
Great White North
I do think they make it pretty clear you're on your own in that race though! I like firing up the dart to start the race..classy.. :ogbiggrin:
 
Thread Starter
TS
James

James

Out There
Instructor
Joined
Dec 2, 2015
Posts
24,455
How about Tennessee?
Well that appears to be a 20 mile loop, so roughly a 3 1/4 mile radius. Plus, if you’re lighting up a cigarette to start maybe it’s a little different.
 

Sponsor

Staff online

Top