Shepherd hailed as hero for saving 6 runners
Zhu Keming in the cave where six runners sheltered during the ultramarathon on Saturday in Baiyin, Gansu Province
A shepherd was hailed as a hero for saving six runners in an ultramarathon in northwest China during which 21 participants were killed when extreme weather hit the area.
Zhu Keming helped the runners to a cave, built a fire and covered them with quilts when gusty winds, hail and heavy showers struck the scenic Yellow River Stone Forest on Saturday in Baiyin, Gansu Province.
"What I did was very ordinary thing, but I do feel sorry that I wasn't able to save more lives," Zhu said. "There were others who were lifeless, and I couldn't do anything."
Provincial authorities have set up a team to investigate the incident.
Zhu went up the mountain to check on his sheep as gale-force winds swept through the village that morning, Zhu told Voice of China in an interview published today.
The weather was very unusual, with thick fog, torrential downpours, strong winds and occasional hail, Zhu said.
The cave where Zhu helped six runners seek shelter from extreme weather during the ultramarathon
While in an abandoned cave where he was resting, Zhu heard a man calling for help. He walked out of the cave and saw a young man limping.
Zhu took him to the cave and used bamboo sheets to start a fire. A while later, four more runners showed up.
"They were freezing, shivering constantly. They huddled together and I covered them with quilts," he said.
Zhu went out to look for more runners. He found another man who was unconscious, and carried him back to the cave.
The six runners Zhu has saved
The six gradually regained strength, and around 7pm they were ready to climb down the mountain. Almost the entire village was mobilized to offer help, with some bringing duvets and thick coats while others cooked soup and provided hot water.
"The wind was too strong and I repeatedly fell over," runner Zhang Xiaotao said in a Weibo post. "My limbs were frozen stiff and I felt like I was slowly losing control of my body ... I wrapped my insulation blanket around me, took out my GPS tracker, pressed the SOS button and lost consciousness."
Zhang was the last man Zhu saved and the only one of the race's first six runners to survive.
Many of the runners in the race succumbed to hypothermia, which occurs when the body loses heat faster than it can produce it, causing dangerously low body temperatures. It results in shivers, slow breathing, clumsiness and loss of consciousness.
Netizens questioned whether preparation work had been done properly. In a list provided by race organizers, protective gear such as warm jackets was recommended but not mandatory. In photos circulating online, most runners were wearing T-shirts and shorts.
