Famous contestants and cinematographers passed away unexpectedly! Event Director: Watching the crowd disappear, bad news comes from the Weihai Off road Race
On September 9th, during the 2023 Happy Weihai Off road Race's 100 kilometer group race, the live streamer of contestant and famous off-road runner Ge Gelin passed away unexpectedly. Ge Gelin, who was ranked first among women at the time, then withdrew from the race.
On the 11th, the person in charge of the competition told reporters that he was "watching people disappear". The Sports Bureau of Weihai City, Shandong Province, expressed deep sorrow for the death of the person involved and is making every effort to carry out post disaster work, and the cause is also under investigation.
On the 9th, when he arrived at CP3, Ge Gelin exclaimed that the weather was too hot, and beside him was Mr. Li, who was following the live broadcast. Photo source/screenshot of Gegelin Tiktok
The reporter learned that Mr. Li, who passed away unexpectedly, is from Mianyang, Sichuan. He is 40 years old and is also a well-known off-road runner in the industry. This year, he participated in the Hong Kong Bai and Emei Mountain off-road challenges, and served as a pace setter at the Jiangyou Marathon. He also participated in the Wugong Mountain International Off road Race a week before the accident.
According to Mr. Li's social media update in July, he was invited to do a paid live broadcast of the Weihai 100 off-road race for elite athlete Ge Gelin. And this is not the first time Mr. Li has done a match follow-up for Ge Gelin. This year's Longquanshan 100 and Chongli 168 off-road races, he also served as a follow-up photographer for Ge Gelin. The interaction between the two on social media also indicates a good relationship between them. In the comment, Mr. Li also replied to netizens, "In this Weihai 100 off-road race, Ge Gelin is aiming for the championship."
The reporter contacted several off-road enthusiasts who watched the live broadcast, and they all said that shortly after the race started, Mr. Li was panting heavily and felt that his condition was not right. Ms. Fan explained, "When I watched the live broadcast, Mr. Li was gasping for breath. Ge Ge also reminded Mr. Li to be careful and said a few words, saying that he no longer has the strength to speak. I also joked and commented that Ge Ge works as a live broadcast commentator."
"Mr. Li had originally planned to follow CP4, but he crashed at 38 kilometers before reaching CP4. He couldn't follow CP4, so Ge Ge called for someone to pick him up. Mr. Li asked them to go first, and he went to CP4 to slow down before going to the supply point." In response to numerous rumors online, Ms. Fan said, "It wasn't Mr. Li who had an accident. Ge Ge Ge left him and ran away, but when they separated, Mr. Li was still fine."
The live video replay also showed that Chen Lin had already taken a significant lead in second place with just over 20 kilometers left from the finish line. After hearing that Mr. Li had an accident, he directly chose to withdraw from CP6.
As for the cause of Mr. Li's accident, some netizens said it was falling off the cliff, and some contestants complained that the design of the track was unreasonable and difficult. They also released pictures and videos saying that one section of the cliff was very steep, and many contestants dared not go down. "It is not reasonable to follow the whole process of the track with such difficulty."
The steep road section during the competition captured by netizens. Image source/network
On the 11th, the reporter contacted Mr. Zhang, a contestant who participated in the 50 kilometer group. He said that the very steep cliff was behind CP7, and Mr. Li had an accident between CP3 and CP4. "The overall track was not difficult, the section in the video was the most difficult, and the other sections were not as steep." Some netizens also said that Mr. Li's death was due to heatstroke. According to multiple contestants, according to the weather forecast, the temperature on the day of the competition was 29 degrees, but the sunlight was strong.
On the 11th, a reporter called the sports bureau of Weihai City, the organizer of the event, and a staff member said that the organizing committee and the organizer were "very regretful and saddened" by the passing of the person involved. "At present, the family members have arrived in Weihai, and we are conducting pacification and aftermath work. Regarding the specific reasons and responsibility definition, we are currently organizing all forces to investigate, and there will definitely be a response."
Due to consecutive days of high temperatures, the organizers of the event announced an earlier firing time. Image source/official website of the competition company
Subsequently, the reporter contacted Li Renli, the event director of the Happy Weihai Off road Race, and he said with a heavy tone, "At present, the specific situation is not very clear, but there are some things online that are reversing right and wrong. After all, I watched helplessly as this person disappeared, and now I don't want to make any response." Upstream News reporters also tried to call Mr. Li's phone to contact his family, but there has been no answer.
It is reported that this competition is the first international off-road running association point off-road running event in Weihai, attracting more than 1400 participants. The competition is divided into three groups: 100 kilometer group, 50 kilometer group, and 30 kilometer group. The competition adopts a circular track, with the Likou National Mountaineering Trail as the main route. Due to different distances between different groups, the route may vary.
