Marathon runners caught on a mountain by bad weather that killed 21 people rescued by goat herder sheltering in nearby cave
- The goat herder said he was sheltering in his cave when he was awoken by a voice yelling for help
- Not all the runners were as lucky with 21 others reportedly killed by the storm
The 100km (62-mile) trail race in a mountainous scenic zone in Gansu was hit by bad weather, including gales, a sudden drop in temperature, hail and rain, soon after its 172 participants set off on Saturday morning.
Many of the runners were dressed only in shorts and running tops. A total of 21 runners were found dead, the remaining 151 were rescued, eight of whom sustained minor injuries.
Six of the competitors were saved by Zhu Keming, a 49-year-old goat herder who took them to a nearby cave he uses for shelter, The Beijing News reported.
Zhu said he was in a cave – where he usually stores clothing and food – sheltering from the harsh weather when he was awoken around 2pm by a voice yelling for help.
02:41
Chinese goat herder saves 6 ultramarathon runners stranded on a mountain by extreme weather
It was a runner who was drenched from the storm and had an injured leg. Zhu gave the man a quilt and moved him near his fire to recover.
Soon several other runners passed by in distress and were taken by Zhu into the cave.
“They kept on shivering because of the coldness,” Zhu said. “They then sat together by the fire to warm themselves, but their bodies were still shivering for a while.”
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21 runners die in freezing weather during ultramarathon in northwestern China
The last competitor rescued was found when Zhu walked about 10 metres away from the cave, searching for a phone signal to dial a rescue hotline. Zhu said the man, who was lying on the ground, had hypothermia and could not walk.
“I initially thought of holding him on my back, but found it was too heavy for me,” said Zhu. “At last, I and those runners in the cave lifted him up and carried him to the cave.”
The last runner saved by Zhu was Zhang Xiaotao who wrote on Weibo that he lost consciousness on the mountain for two and a half hours before being rescued by Zhu.
“He made a fire, took off my wet clothes, and wrapped me up with a quilt. Another hour later, I woke up and regained consciousness,” wrote Zhang.
“I should thank the uncle who saved me,” Zhang said. “Without him, I might have stayed there forever. His kindness has made me reborn and I will never forget his kindness to me.”
In the cave, the six runners dried their clothes by the fire and gradually recovered their strength. They were taken away by the rescuing team who arrived at the cave about 7pm.
“Along the way down the mountain, I saw many villagers bringing quilts to help us. It was really touching,” a runner, whose name was not revealed in the report, was quoted as saying.
The six rescued competitors asked Zhu for his contacts to stay in touch.
“I did not do anything special,” Zhu told The Beijing News. “Anyone else will do the same in that circumstance.”
“This uncle has dragged these six people away from death. What a tremendously kind action he did,” wrote one person on Weibo.
“The herd uncle should be rewarded with money and the Samaritan Award,” another user said.
At an emergency meeting on sporting events security management on Sunday evening, the General Administration of Sport of China ordered event organisers across the country to improve safety measures.
A similar tragedy happened earlier this month when a competitor died from hypothermia in a trail race on Wumeng Mountain in Yunnan. The organiser said the man could not be rescued in time because of a landslide.
