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On Saturday afternoon, extreme weather conditions occurred in a part of the route at high altitude, in a mountainous area near the city of Bajin, Gansu province, in the northwest of the country.
Among the people killed were China’s best long-distance runners.
Among the dead are famous rural marathon runners Liang Jing and Huang Guanjun, local media reported.
Chinese state television CCTV reported on Sunday that the last missing participant in the race had been found without signs of life and the death toll had risen to 21.
Bajin City Mayor Zhang Xuchen said devastating weather rose sharply on the 20- to 31-kilometer ultramarathon track at noon on Saturday.
“Around noon, suddenly hail and lijundra fell, … a strong wind blew. The temperature has dropped dramatically,” said the mayor of Bajin.
The runner-up soon contacted the organizers for help, with the latter dispatching a rescue team to rescue 18 of the 172 runners.
As the weather worsened, the race was canceled and even more rescuers were dispatched to the disaster site.
