Gansu ultramarathon disaster

On May 23,2021, 21 professional runners died from hypothermia out of 172 participants in a government- sponsored 100km trail running held in Yellow River Stone forest in Jinghai County, Gansen, China.  The cold front struck at -5 Celsius causing runners to collapse.  Runners were pelted with rain, hail and gale force winds.  Among those who died was record holder  Liang Jing, who was wearing shorts and thin jacket.  The 31-year old Liang has won a 250-mile (400km) through the Gobi desert in 2018. Paralympian Huang Ganyun who won the hearing-and-speech impaired also died. He won the 2019 National Paralympic games.  This was the third edition of the ultramarathon, but it was a new route.  About 40 to 50 people took shelter in small caves along the route and were guided by a sheperd  name Zhu Keming  who has been hailed a national hero for saving six people.  Chinese  media blasted the organizers for inadequate contigency plans and poor communications to local rescue units.  Many of the runners who started were lightly-clothed with some only wearing shorts and t-shirts.  Wang Jin-Ming, a competitor, said the weather turned nasty after he ran 18 miles, his emergency blanket was ripped off by strong winds.  He woke up in a hospital.  One of the organizing official, county party chief Li Zuobi who started the ultra in 2018, died after he committed suicide by jumping fom a high-rise building.  Media said the race was poorly orgnized with 26 local officers punished with disciplinary action while two were detained.

Greg Foster Dies

Three-time world sprint hurdles  champion Greg Foster 64, died last month  after struggling in recent years with amyloidosis and having heart surgery.  Foster won the 110m hurdles World titles in Helsinki in 1983, Rome in 1987 and Tokyo in 1991.  He won silver in the 1984 L.A Olympics and a World  Indoor 60m hurdles crown in Seville, Spain in 1991.  His best personal time for 110 hurdles was 13:03.  He missed an Olympic gold when Roger Kingdom narrowly beat him at the 84’ Games.  He failed to partcipate in the 1988 Seoul Olympics when he broke his arm.