![]() ![]() ![]() Luo said she grew cold and tried to take shelter, but her emergency blanket was torn to shreds by the wind. “There is nowhere to rest and you can’t stop on the exposed mountains … But on this day, the problems were magnified.” She said conditions worsened when she was between the second and third checkpoints, a treacherous, steep and technical part of the trail that involves climbing and does not allow for any supplies to be left at the third checkpoint. She said her life was saved by having warm clothing with her, and having enough time to descend.Ġ0:48 Runner says she saw 'many with hypothermia' during deadly China ultramarathon – videoĪnother competitor said there had been no forecast of the extreme weather, and while it was cold the sun was shining when she began the race. You have to make plans for the worst case every time, and don’t pin your hopes on others!” “Trail running is the same as mountain climbing. “Because I have experienced many dangers in mountaineering before, I understand that my safety must be in my own hands,” Luo said. On social media, Luo Jing, a well-known Chinese athlete and mountaineer, warned others to take their own safety seriously, suggesting the high death count was at least partly attributed to inadequate preparation for the surprise extreme weather. China News Weekly also quoted local rescue personnel saying they had struggled to locate people in the inaccessible terrain, before finding four competitors in a cave later that night, three of whom had died. Some observers have questioned the lack of mandatory cold-weather gear other than an emergency blanket in the race’s equipment list, particularly for such a remote, high-altitude event. Photograph: Jean-Pierre Clatot/AFP/Getty Images The record-holding runner Liang Jing, who died in the tragedy. More than half had settled compensation arrangements, reportedly of about $150,000, but some families had rejected the payments, saying the authorities had given no explanation for the deaths, which involved “human error” as much as natural disaster. The mayor of Baiyin, Zhang Xuchen, said on Tuesday 161 family members of the victims had arrived in Gansu province. The high-level central commission for discipline inspection is investigating the circumstances surrounding the tragedy, in which survivors sheltered in caves, waiting hours to be rescued after they were stranded mostly between the second and third checkpoints. The shepherd, Zhu Keming, has been hailed as a national hero for saving their lives. Six runners were rescued by a local shepherd who sheltered them in a nearby cave, including at least one unconscious man, Zhang Xiaotao, whom he carried in from the track. Among the dead were elite runners, including the 31-year-old record-holder, Liang Jing, and the Paralympian Huang Ganjun. ![]()
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