Race organisers of deadly 2021 ultramarathon in northwestern China sentenced to jail

Ding Keya, chief administrator of the national park where the deaths took place, was also charged with taking bribes and sentenced to 4 years and 10 months in prison in addition to a fine. His deputy, Luo Wentao, received a sentence of 3 ½ years.

The tragedy happened the morning of May 22, 2021, when a storm suddenly hit Jingtai county in Gansu.

A sudden drop in temperature, coupled with gales, hail and freezing rain, caught the 172 participants of the 100km (62-mile) race unprepared after they had set off from Yellow River Stone Forest, a national park.

Many of the runners were dressed only in shorts and running tops, leaving them trapped in freezing temperatures in the remote mountainous area.

When search-and-rescue efforts ended the next day, 21 runners were found dead. Of the 151 who were rescued, eight suffered minor injuries. And some of the country’s top cross-country runners were among the casualties.

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Later five employees of the companies that organised the race, Gansu Shengjing Sports Culture Development and Shanghai Saike Information Technology, were arrested: Wang Yaoxiang, Wu Shiyuan, Zhang Xiaoyan, Zhang Zhengji and Zheng Shirong.

Ding and Luo, the park officials, were detained for investigation.

An official Gansu provincial government report released a month after the tragedy found the race organisers had “organised, managed and operated the event poorly” and “bore direct responsibility for the incident”.

The investigators found they had failed to take effective precautions even after authorities warned of bad weather before the race and that they did not make available windproof and warmth-preserving gear required for high-altitude races.

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In addition, the report stated no supply or medical-aid posts had been set up in the race’s most difficult and dangerous high-altitude sections. Furthermore, staffers were unable to seek help during moments of crisis due to inadequate telecommunications.

The investigators concluded that the organisers had “failed to make special emergency plans and security measures in accordance with relevant regulations, and their emergency rescue forces were seriously ill-prepared”.

Local officials also came under criticism in the official report, which blamed them for poor preparations and supervision.