Holy crap! 20 dead and 1 missing in Chinese 100km ultra

Also, you might ask yourself why they didn't just go down.

On a short-ish randonnee once, a cloud came up the valley and dumped maybe 2cm of wet snow in a few minutes. Although we had started down as soon as we saw it coming, we were stuck. It was then impossibly unsafe to try to go down where we were--there was no option but to continue up, to more snow and more cold, and to come down a long but gently-sloping ridge instead.

You have zero real alpine experience. I could tell hundreds of these stories.

Bad Wigins wrote:

igotoneforyou wrote:

What a terrible tragedy. Those who have no experience in mountains (Bad Wigins et al) are just ignorant and have no clue. RIP to those who lost their lives in this horrible situation.

I have plenty of experience both in mountains, and seeing holy people jerk off to disaster porn.

You're one classy dude. And you have a soul no idea what you are talking about when it comes to mountains.

igotoneforyou wrote:

Bad Wigins wrote:

I have plenty of experience both in mountains, and seeing holy people jerk off to disaster porn.

You're one classy dude. And you have a soul no idea what you are talking about when it comes to mountains.

I meant to write "absolutely no idea"...lol. your posts reveal that clearly. Nobody is trying to be holy about this. We just care that a lot of people died in a tragic event.

iRunFar has updated their article with more information, including some from a guy who was in the top 6 of the race at the time. He was probably the only one in the top 6 that survived, saved by a sheep herder. Sounds like a fairly competitive race, with deaths mostly among the top runners, some of whom were among the top trail runners in the nation.

The required gear list is also listed in the article. Only a space blanket was required for protection from the elements. That list can be fairly criticized. The one mountain race that I've raced a lot has a required gear list that includes: long underwear top and bottom, windproof top and pants, stocking cap, and gloves. Wearing all that would have definitely helped survival more than a space blanket - it would keep them a lot warmer and still have mobility to retreat.

https://www.irunfar.com/twenty-one-runners-die-during-100-kilometer-ultramarathon-in-china

Do we know what their mandatory gear list is? I mean, it might not have helped much anyway, with it sounding like a freak, unexpected storm, but still, I wonder.

Oops, looks like we posted roughly the same time. Thanks! I was thinking their gear list was probably not sufficient 😔.

Sprintgeezer wrote:

I have been in mountain storms, prepared. It is no joke. I would never go unprepared. To do an ultra there shows bad judgment, by unfortunate people who have no serious alpine experience, and who probably trusted incompetent race organizers.

I am blown away by this. I spend much time above 2000m in the alps. This is insane. Worst alpine storms I have seen were in the Canadian rockies.

I have twice been in extreme localized weather situations that were not not elevation or storm related. It is possibly to get into a hypothermic situation in warm and hot weather (even 104 °F).

The first time it was in the Sierra Nevada at waterfall created by winter snow melting and running off. It was about 80 degrees. Three of use hiked in close to base of the falls for closer look. The closer we got the colder we got. After putting on jackets were were still cold. There was sudden surge of high wind, and the combination of wind and very cold water was a physical shock to us. We could not get out of there fast enough. We were completely soaked, even with the jackets. We had a way out to a warmer air area.

The second time was in Bakersfield, CA. It was 104 degrees and a group of us (Hash House Harrier) were on a death from a park, over barren hills, to a river. Large sprinklers turned on to water a soccer field. Two of decided to abandon the trail, jump a fence, and cool off in the stream of the sprinklers, which were the type that rotated the stream in a circle. Two other people decided to join us. After some 10 minutes we were all freezing. The combination of spraying cold water, which creates its own air currents, and soaking wet clothes were what did us in. We bailed out of the freezing cold and waiting for the 104 degree heat to warm us up.

These trail runner did not have the option we had, to bail out and get to warmer safety in short order.

jonathon wrote:

So... 20 runners didn't check the weather forecast?

Good one. People tragically die from exposure to extreme weather and you blame them for not checking the forecast. What a callous response to a tragic event.

Should they have carried a backpack with tent, camp stove, and hot chocolate so they could have hunkered down for the night? What other preparation do you think people should make for an ultra race? I am sure you would have done the right thing and thrived in this situation. Congratulations to you.

minus 2600 wrote:

The required gear list is also listed in the article. Only a space blanket was required for protection from the elements. That list can be fairly criticized. The one mountain race that I've raced a lot has a required gear list that includes: long underwear top and bottom, windproof top and pants, stocking cap, and gloves. Wearing all that would have definitely helped survival more than a space blanket - it would keep them a lot warmer and still have mobility to retreat.

You know, people always complain about the required gear list at these kind of ultras, but it just goes to show why that list exists. I've certainly been guilty of thinking "I'll just move fast and make my own heat", but that doesn't leave much margin for error.

Here in New England we have hikers dying or needing rescue on mountains all the time. Even at 4000' something as minor as a sprained ankle can leave you exposed and stuck on the mountain.

ABCDEFG29 wrote:

jonathon wrote:

So... 20 runners didn't check the weather forecast?

Good one. People tragically die from exposure to extreme weather and you blame them for not checking the forecast. What a callous response to a tragic event.

Should they have carried a backpack with tent, camp stove, and hot chocolate so they could have hunkered down for the night? What other preparation do you think people should make for an ultra race? I am sure you would have done the right thing and thrived in this situation. Congratulations to you.

The weather can change dramatically in mere minutes. Not 30 minutes, 5 minutes.

Q: are ultras often done at such elevations in mountainous terrain?

Sprintgeezer wrote:

The weather can change dramatically in mere minutes. Not 30 minutes, 5 minutes.

Q: are ultras often done at such elevations in mountainous terrain?

Some are. There are a lot of them in the western US. Most people who are running them know what they are doing. But there are always some who have no idea what they are getting in to.

Bad Wigins wrote:

igotoneforyou wrote:

What a terrible tragedy. Those who have no experience in mountains (Bad Wigins et al) are just ignorant and have no clue. RIP to those who lost their lives in this horrible situation.

I have plenty of experience both in mountains, and seeing holy people jerk off to disaster porn.

Geez. I hope you're not the a$$hole in regular life that you are on the boards.

Bad Wigins wrote:

Just how low did the temperature get? Hypothermia takes a while, especially if you're warmed up and moving. And if the weather hit an 11k high altitude stretch, then it's at worst 5.5k from safety in one direction or the other.

Details are missing to make this story add up.

Everything you post goes completely to crap,the infamous 2600 post,your lack of knowledge on palestine and now this,far easier if you just give up from now on.

Bad Wigins wrote:

I have plenty of experience in mountains.

Mountains of debt and making mountains out of molehills do not count.

People who run on remote trails and/or high elevation should always be prepared for bad weather.

Invest in a good lightweight waterproof jacket. Yes they can be expensive but the good ones weigh less than 200 grams and can fit in a small pocket when folded. Tuck it in your belt/vest, especially in early spring and late fall.

Carry twice the calories you think you'll need for the distance. Gels and snacks take little space. Carrying two or three gels instead of one will get you out of trouble when tired shuffling back to your car over hilly terrain with a sprained ankle.

Don't rely on tech too much. Cell phone coverage is usually problematic even on mountains near major cities. GPS accuracy suffers when crossing a gorge or under heavy tree cover.

You don't need to carry a 20kg backpack loaded with enough gear and food to cross the Alps every time you just want to run on a trail for 2-3 hours in the scorching summer heat. But running with just a singlet and shorts at high-ish elevation in early March is just asking for bad things to happen.

I was running at altitude in Utah today. 75° and sunny at the start of my run, 5 miles in I got caught by a small blizzard, strong winds, and freezing rain. Most of my upper body and fam jewels were numb or nearly numb by the time I made it back to a lower elevation. And the forecast had only shown a 12% chance of rain. Weather can be crazy.

Officialdb wrote:I was running at altitude in Utah today. 75° and sunny at the start of my run, 5 miles in I got caught by a small blizzard, strong winds, and freezing rain. Most of my upper body and fam jewels were numb or nearly numb by the time I made it back to a lower elevation. And the forecast had only shown a 12% chance of rain. Weather can be crazy.

It's Sunday. You're not supposed to be doing that in Utah.

It's possible the race organizers demanded that the athletes run in tough weather conditions if they care more about money than the wellbeing of the runners. This type of race would have been canceled in America.

The sweatshops, the human rights abuses, the eating of dogs, etc. show Chinese evil.

Leftists and Democrats shout about "Russian collusion", but there's a noticeable silence about China, which is set to become the largest economy in the world.

Odd. Finding pictures of Chinese in winter clothing is not hard: