The CP2-CP3 section of Baiyin Mountain Marathon in Gansu Province is steep and uphill, which will inevitably lead to the speed decrease, and it is more likely to cause human body temperature loss under extreme weather conditions of strong wind and heavy rain.
With the explosive growth of marathon events, the personnel reserve and corresponding rules and regulations have not kept up, and the training of volunteers and related staff is not in place, resulting in frequent chaos in marathon venues.
At 9: 00 am on May 22nd, the 4th Yellow River Shilin Mountain Marathon started in Jingtai County, Baiyin City, Gansu Province. The number of participants was *** 172. Later, in extreme weather, many players suffered serious temperature loss at high altitude, and 2 1 person was killed.
172 people participated in the competition, and 2 1 people were killed, including many top cross-country runners in China. Such heavy casualties are extremely rare, far beyond the public's general perception of marathon.
Does the mandatory equipment requirements for holding competitions in sub-plateau no man's land include necessary equipment such as wind, rain and warmth? Are complete emergency points and supply stations prepared in the track section, especially in the no-man's land? In the face of sudden extreme weather, is it timely for the organizer to terminate the competition and is the emergency plan adequate?
At present, the Gansu Provincial Party Committee and the provincial government have set up an incident investigation team to further investigate the cause of the incident. This tragedy is a mirror and a wake-up call for marathon events that have blossomed almost everywhere in China in recent years.
Cross-country running is an extreme sport.
The requirements are higher than ordinary marathons
At about 0/3 o'clock on May 22nd, the section from 20km to 3 1k m in cross-country race was affected by sudden extreme weather, with severe weather such as hail, freezing rain and strong wind, and the temperature plummeted. Participants experienced physical discomfort and hypothermia, and some participants lost contact.
Subsequently, the local authorities stopped the competition and organized various forces to search and rescue the lost personnel. Due to the complex topography of the stage, the temperature dropped again at night, making search and rescue more difficult.
As of 9: 30 on May 23rd, 2 1 person was officially confirmed to have been killed, and another 8 people were treated with minor injuries in the hospital.
According to a contestant's memory, it was sunny on the morning of the game, but it turned cloudy when I arrived at the match point by car ferry, and then the wind blew. "I ran two kilometers to warm up before shooting, which has never happened before. What is more troublesome is that I am not hot after running these two kilometers. "
The contestant said that during the cross-country course, he experienced rain and headwind, during which he "found that ten fingers had no feeling and his tongue was cold". He resolutely decided to go down the mountain. "I retreated to the mountainside, and the blue sky rescue team led me to a hut. About 65,438+00 players have quit first. After waiting for rescue in the cabin for more than an hour, the number of players in the cabin is close to 50. "
The official identified this incident as a "public security incident caused by the sudden change of local weather" and is investigating.
"Mountain cross-country race and city marathon are not the same thing at all. Cross-country running is a mountain running. If you need to walk uphill, you won't finish the race. You just need to run a flat slope, a gentle slope and a downhill slope. In the traditional city marathon, the track is mainly flat slope, so you can run the whole course. CP2-CP3(CP is the punch point) of Baiyin Mountain Marathon in Gansu Province is a steep slope, which will inevitably lead to the speed decrease. Under extreme weather conditions of strong wind and heavy rain, it is more likely to cause human body temperature loss. " Outdoor travel practitioner "Ai Ai Ai" said that the track of cross-country running is basically a wild road on the mountain, which is a track that people have stepped on, so cross-country running is more inclined to walk for a long distance than ordinary marathons.
According to "Ai Xiao Ai", the concept of cross-country running replenishment is similar to that of marathon, but the difference is that cross-country running will be more "adapted to local conditions", and the distance of its replenishment points will be considered according to the actual road conditions, rather than a fixed distance replenishment like a city marathon.
Seeker, the marathon emergency runner, further analyzed that the difference between ordinary marathon and mountain cross-country race is first of all distance. The distance of an ordinary marathon is 42.195km, but the distance of a cross-country race is longer, such as 50km,100km or even 200km. Secondly, the track is different. Ordinary marathons will set the track on the flat ground, while cross-country races will generally choose mountains with rugged roads. Third, equipment and rescue are different. Marathon is held in this city. There are more volunteers and rescuers along the road, which makes the rescue more convenient. However, cross-country races sometimes need to stay overnight, and the required equipment is more complicated.
List windbreaker as recommended equipment
Be questioned as not meeting the competition standards.
After the incident, many people in the cross-country arena questioned and accused the organizing committee of underestimating the weather conditions and failing to list windproof and warm clothes such as "windbreaker or jacket" as compulsory equipment for the competition, resulting in the athletes' body temperature dropping too fast in the storm.
On May 23, some media pointed out that the compulsory equipment preparation and replenishment of this event may not meet the standards of mountain running events.
The "China Cross-country Running Organization Standard" (hereinafter referred to as the "Standard") published by the official website of China Athletics Association requires athletes to be equipped with compulsory equipment. The list of compulsory equipment must be clearly stipulated in the competition registration notice, and the organizers of the competition are required to check the compulsory equipment when the athletes sign in, and set up one or more equipment checkpoints in the middle of the competition. In principle, inspections must be carried out in turn. If conditions do not permit, the project can be sampled, and the sampling personnel shall not be less than 50% of the participants in the sampling project.
The standard stipulates that there is a thermal blanket in the compulsory equipment, including but not limited to: in high-altitude competitions, players must be required to carry coats with windproof and warm-keeping functions. However, in the list of required items published in the 4th Yellow River Shilin Mountain Marathon, the jacket with windproof and warm-keeping function is not a required item.
Official website, who signed up for this cross-country race, disclosed that the equipment that the organizing committee forced the contestants to carry included number cloth, timing chip, electronic track, GPS tracker, lighting equipment (headlights), water tools, life-saving blankets, whistles and mobile phones, among which the first four items were indicated as provided by the organizing committee. The organizing Committee said that the contestants should bear the consequences caused by not carrying compulsory equipment. As for "windbreaker or jacket", it is listed as "recommended equipment".
Some contestants also revealed that due to terrain and other reasons, there is no supply point for CP3 at the top of the mountain. The exposed mountain makes people have nowhere to rest and cannot retire here; Considering that there is nothing unusual in the weather forecast, some contestants think it will be very hot and worry that they may get heatstroke.
During the interview, many cross-country runners said that they didn't know the importance of compulsory equipment until they experienced it personally. For example, TNF 100 (cross-country running series) is equipped with jackets, waterproof pants, down jackets, headscarves (issued by the organizing committee), hats, gloves and headlights.
"All these devices must be inspected the day before the competition, and then they can register and get the number plate. After leaving the next day, every CP will have a random inspection to ensure that you have the necessary compulsory equipment, otherwise you will be forced to retire. There are ***5 CPS in the whole game, one every 20km. There are emergency personnel and patrol cars along each CP. These compulsory equipment are suitable for cross-country races at almost all distances. " A super-horse cross-country runner said that a responsible organizing committee should provide corresponding safety guarantee work and stricter mandatory equipment inspection.
"This incident once again proves that compulsory equipment is actually a kind of protection for top runners, not to increase their load." A super horse cross-country runner wrote that he had experienced a temperature fault of 87km when he participated in TNF 100 abroad. "In the second stage, my peripheral blood supply decreased, my limbs were cold and I lost consciousness. At about 2: 30 in the morning, I was sitting on the side of the road wrapped in a space blanket, thinking that I was found by a patrol car when I was resting. The patrolman took my temperature, then retired, took me back to CP4 to be evaluated by the on-site emergency doctor, and gave me temperature recovery treatment. I saw that another person in CP4 had just entered the third phase of hypothermia, and his consciousness was vague, so he was sent to a nearby hospital. " .
The marathon had a flat tire.
Professional reserves can't keep up.
In recent years, various marathons have sprung up all over the country.
According to Seeker, since the State Council released "Several Opinions on Accelerating the Development of Sports Industry and Promoting Sports Consumption" in 20 14, marathon events have exploded. Only 20 19 has 1828 marathons a year, with an average of 5 marathons a day. However, with the explosive growth of the event, the reserve of athletes and the corresponding rules and regulations have not kept up, and the training of volunteers and related staff has not been in place, resulting in frequent chaos in marathon.
CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection(CCDI)'s official website said: "Some places are keen on hosting the Olympic Games, because it has a publicity effect, can stimulate regional consumption, collect corporate sponsorship fees and advertising fees, and create tourism brands. However, some sports events often focus only on economic benefits and are unwilling to invest more in service and safety. Some contractors simply don't have the qualification and ability to organize high-risk sports events, and only pay attention to setting high bonuses and other awards to attract players to participate in the competition and get quick success. Some local government departments do not want to manage or will not manage guidance and supervision, and some even have serious security risks, which can easily lead to security accidents. "
Some insiders pointed out that at present, a considerable number of competition companies have made great efforts in publicity, but ignored the real demands of the players. Bao Le (pseudonym), a professional athlete, said: "Now many marathons spend millions of yuan on TV and stage construction, but the real money spent on athletes is only tens of thousands of yuan. After a long time, the organizers of these activities will inevitably be eliminated. "
"In addition, some relevant departments or sponsors don't understand the event, which makes the marathon a simple purpose of promoting the city image and tourism resources. The organizers put their energy and resources into how to plan the "most beautiful" track. Many cities hosting marathons are caught in a strange circle. Local governments want performance but don't want to take risks. These factors have a great influence on the experience of athletes. " Baole said.
"Ai Ai Ai Ai" suggests that for such competitions, the organizers should raise the threshold for contestants and force them to carry equipment; The relevant departments should strictly examine the qualifications, experience and ability of the organizers.
Seeker also believes that relevant departments should improve the standards of event organizers and set quantitative indicators; Organizers should also do a good job in ensuring the competition and improve their organizational ability.
In Seeker's view, this incident should serve as a warning to the majority of runners: we must be cautious about the marathon, be fully prepared for possible dangers, and never be lucky. I am afraid of life, marathon and extremely dangerous cross-country running.