Although it might seem that completing a marathon has become almost fashionable for people nowadays, in fact, only 0.17 percent of the world’s population has been able to do it at least once in their lifetime. There are even fewer who have taken a step further and challenged themselves in one of the ultramarathon distances, where competition organizers try to provide more and more complicated, extreme and adrenaline-filled routes. The bar of ultramarathons in the world is being raised higher and higher, and as the experts admit, the question is already being asked, where is the limit, when human reason should already stop the ambition to conquer it. Because the price can be your own life.
The number of competitions is also growing, and the organizers, while sweating, are trying to plan and develop more and more exciting routes in order to attract thrill seekers directly to their offer. In order to complete the list of runners for legendary traditional ultramarathons, marketing activities are unnecessary – there are more than enough people who are ready to leave their last strength every year in the Sahara desert, Antarctic glaciers, Amazonian evergreen forests, the Grand Canyon, Spartathlon in Greece or the Alps. The bigger the crowd at the start, the bigger the budget contribution they make. And the more popular a sporting event is, the more it will be talked about, which in turn opens up sponsors’ wallets more and more.
However, along with the increase in popularity, the question arises whether ultramarathon running is not turning into too extreme an activity – forcing participants to take risks and more often to lose their lives?
The blackest day in history
In ultramarathons, as in most other sports and disciplines, there is a classification of competitions according to rank, power and degree of difficulty – most often expressed not only by kilometers horizontally and vertically, but also, for example, by the prevailing weather conditions. In the mountains, expect to encounter unbearable cold and temperature changes, while the desert sands and canyons will heat up like a frying pan – providing extra tests for the athletes’ mental and physical health. Of course, one’s own participation, one’s own choice and responsibility, however, the tragic accidents that have occurred in recent years suggest that it is the joint responsibility of the organizer and the athlete that allows them to reach the finish line alive, well and healthy.
In May 2021, a 100-kilometer mountain endurance race was organized in Gansu province in northwestern China, one of the biggest events in the area, which attracts tourists and therefore finances for the local community. The organizers were happy with the 172 runners who went to the start that day with the determination to fight for victory. Among them are meritorious and experienced athletes, including the record holder of this race, 31-year-old Liana Yin. Dressed in shorts and a light fabric shirt, he posted a video on the social networking site “WeChat” shortly before the start, mentioning that “the wind is a little strong.”
That day, 21 runners lost their lives on the Gansu Ultramarathon route, and Yin was one of them.
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