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Organizer of Ultramarathon in China Fails to Protect Runners in Extreme Weather; 21 Die
by Nicole Hao

Twenty-one ultramarathon runners, including China’s marathon champions, died at the Gansu cross-country mountain race as a result of extreme weather, the Chinese communist regime announced on May 23.

Liang Jing, 31, China’s ultramarathon record holder; Huang Guanjun, 34, winner of the men’s marathon for hearing-impaired runners at China’s 2019 National Paralympic Games; and top ultramarathon runners Huang Yinbin and Cao Pengfei were among the victims.

“All elite ultramarathon runners died,” a Chinese netizen wrote on Weibo on May 23.

The victims were among more than 170 runners who started the 100-kilometer race–62 miles, or the distance of almost two and a half marathons–in sunny conditions on May 22. However, the weather turned severe, including hail, gale-force winds, and fast-dropping temperatures that created chaos for the runners, who were dressed in short sleeves and shorts and didn’t have access to warm clothes or food.

The deaths sparked public outrage over the lack of contingency planning.

Continues - site has paywall w/ some free articles each month:

https://www.theepochtimes.com/mkt_morningbrief/top-runners-among-21-dead-from-harsh-weather-during-ultramarathon-in-china_3827183.html

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