‘Ran for Our Lives’: How the Deadliest Ultramarathon Claimed 21 Runners

October 5, 2021

In all, 21 of 172 runners who started the race would die as a sudden cold front from Mongolia drove temperatures to as low as 23 degrees Fahrenheit, with snow pellets and wind gusts strong enough to tear apart foil blankets.

The scale of the tragedy has confounded the international running community for months. A review of findings from the official investigation, satellite data and interviews with survivors and family members of victims reveals a poorly organized event, and race officials who were slow to act or communicate, even when danger was clear. WSJ