(Yicai Global) May 24 -- Twenty-one long distance runners, including two of China's elite athletes, have perished due to extreme weather conditions during a 100-kilometer mountain marathon in northwestern Gansu province that turned into tragedy.

Among the dead are Liang Jing, three-time winner of the Yellow River Stone Forest Mountain Marathon, and Huang Guanjun, a Paralympic champion.

There was a sudden, dramatic change in weather after the 172 athletes set off from the city of Baiyin on May 22. Rather than the mild temperatures and gentle winds that had been forecast by organizers, hail, sleet and high winds assaulted the competitors at a high-altitude section of the race and the temperature dropped sharply, according to a report by the local rescue team.

It was a public safety incident caused by a sudden change in weather, Baiyin Mayor Zhang Xuchen said yesterday. Gansu province has set up a team to further investigate the cause of the incident, he added.

As of 8 a.m. yesterday, the surviving 151 participants had been rescued, eight of whom were slightly injured. Most of the casualties were suffering from hypothermia. One competitor told Yicai Global that the insulation blanket they were given was torn to pieces by the wind as soon as it was taken out.

The extreme weather caught runners off guard, a participant told reporters. The forecast released by the marathon’s organizers the day before had predicted balmy temperatures ranging from 9 to 19 degrees Celsius and a moderate breeze with no rain.

Many participants were only wearing short-sleeved shirts and thin shorts and were not required to carry jackets, Yicai Global noted. They also did not appear to have been carrying high calorie snacks or any warm clothing, which are recommended emergency gear.

To compound their misery, at one of the most difficult points, there were no supplies. Runners had to climb almost one kilometer on all fours in the driving rain to Checkpoint Three, only to find no food, drinking water or rest area, the participant said. They had to continue several kilometers along a steep pass to Checkpoint Four dripping wet in strong winds with poor visibility.

The complex terrain made the search and rescue mission, which extended through the night, very difficult.

Editor: Xu Wei, Chen Juan, Kim Taylor