Extreme weather hits China’s Gansu Province, killing 21 ultra-marathon runners
Image credit: NOAA-20/VIIRS, TW. Acquired May 22, 2021. Annotation: TW
Extreme weather, including cold temperatures, freezing rain, hailstorms, and gale-force winds, have claimed the lives of 21 ultra-marathon runners in northwest China's Gansu Province on May 22, 2021. There were 172 race participants in the race of which 151 have been confirmed safe with 8 sent to hospital in stable conditions, according to state-run media.
The 100 km (62 miles) long race started on Saturday morning (LT) in the Yellow River Stone Forest during sunny conditions. The weather conditions drastically changed by 13:00 LT, with a sudden drop in temperatures, freezing rain, hailstorms, and gale-force winds.
Most of the runners were wearing thin shorts and t-shirts and were unable to cope with the sudden temperature drop, with many of them reporting hypothermia.
According to unconfirmed meteorological reports, the temperatures dropped to -24 °C (11 °F) on Saturday afternoon.
"The wind was too strong and I repeatedly fell over," one of the participants wrote in a Weibo post. "My limbs were frozen stiff and I felt like I was slowly losing control of my body. I wrapped my insulation blanket around me, took out my GPS tracker, pressed the SOS button, and lost consciousness." When he came round he discovered a shepherd had carried him to a cave, placed him by the fire, and wrapped him in a duvet, IBT reports.
The organizers called off the race and launched a search and rescue mission of 1 200 people.
Among those who died is Liang Jing, one of China's well-known ultra-marathon runners. Jing was described as one of the best ultra-endurance athletes in the world.
The Gansu Meteorological Bureau's Early Warning Information Center has issued extreme weather warnings one day before the race, which organizers apparently ignored.
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
