Chinese Ultramarathon: A Survivor Describes the Deadly Race

Mr. Zhang could easily have been one of them.

Shortly before he began to stumble up the mountain, Mr. Zhang overtook Huang Guanjun, the champion of the men’s marathon for hearing-impaired runners at the 2019 Chinese National Paralympic Games. As Mr. Zhang was passing, Mr. Huang pointed to his ear and waved to indicate he could not hear Mr. Zhang.

“Later I found out that he was deaf and mute,” Mr. Zhang wrote. Mr. Huang died on the same mountain pass not long after the encounter.

At the front of the race, Mr. Zhang joined five other runners, including Wu Panrong, who had accompanied him from the starting line. Mr. Zhang later learned that he was the only one to survive among the pack. Mr. Wu also died.

The race at Yellow River Stone Forest Park was popular with extreme athletes for whom running the length of more than two marathons can be a monthly event. It had been organized by the local government for the past four years and was seen as a way to promote tourism in the area, one of China’s poorest provinces. This year, 172 people participated.

Competitors are usually mountaineers, ultramarathon runners and trail runners, many of whom are motivated by the prize money as well as the glory.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/24/world/asia/china-ultramarathon-survivor.html