Twenty-one participants in an 100-kilometer (62-mile) marathon in China died Saturday as temperatures plunged, bringing on wind, hail and a landslide that caught the lightly-clothed marathoners by surprise, the Washington Post reports.
The event, at Yellow River Stone Forest Park in Gansu province, took place at high altitudes reaching 6,500 feet. In all, 172 runners started when the the weather was pleasant, but as runners scaled the mountain, it became more treacherous. Rescue efforts were hampered by the altitude, winds and a landslide.
“At 1 p.m. on Saturday, the wind got stronger. It was hard to stand up straight and move forward. When the wind was the strongest, I had to grasp the ground with both my hands to avoid being blown over,” said a survivor, who requested anonymity. “I felt nothing but cold at the time. I just ran about 30 kilometers and quit the race ahead of the third checkpoint. I fainted halfway down the mountain.”
Six participants were aided by a local shepherd who guided them to a cave dwelling, per the Paper of Shanghai. Other local villagers brought quilted blankets to help warm runners, many of whom were suffering from hypothermia.
Two world-class athletes were among the dead: Liang Jing, a 31-year-old ultramarathon champion, and Huang Guanjun, who won the men’s hearing-impaired marathon at China’s 2019 National Paralympic Games.