Dalat Ultra Trail cancelled after athlete dies

The location where organisers found the body of athlete Thai Don Thanh who was washed away by a flood during the Dalat Ultra Trail on June 20. The tournament was cancelled after the accident. (Photo: VNA)

Thai Don Thanh, 40, from Ho Chi Minh City was swept away by flash flooding caused by heavy rain during the race in Da Lat city in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong on June 20.

His body was found later at Dan Kia village, Lac Duong town, Lac Duong district.

After the accident, organisers cancelled the three-day event. All runners were asked to stop and transferred to the start point.

The Dalat Victory Challenge, a terrain cycling tournament which was also on June 21 suffered the same fate.

“First of all, organisers of Dalat Ultra Trail 2020 and Dalat Victory Challenge 2020 would like to express our gratitude towards your support and trust in competing in our races,” organisers said.

“Because of the extreme weather conditions and the unexpected incident during the race that impacts the safety of operations, there are risks for athletes to keep racing.

“In accordance with the Lam Dong Government's instruction, to ensure safety for all athletes, the Dalat Ultra Trail 2020 and Dalat Victory Challenge 2020 will be cancelled.”

Nguyen Tien Hai, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said: “It is an unexpected accident. Organisers are working with the concerning agencies and the athlete’s family.”

It was raining from Friday night in Da Lat and the surrounding areas when the 100km race started. The heavy rain caused high water levels in springs which quickly flooded race routes and prevented athletes from running.

Many athletes withdrew because of the bad conditions but some still tried to finish their run until the official request to stop was made. There were, however, winners of some categories.

In the men’s 100km class, Nguyen Tien Hung of Vietnam won with a time of 14hr 22.35. Le Tan Hi, also from Vietnam triumphed the men’s 70km after 8:26.36. Vietnamese Tran Duy Quang topped the men’s 45km podium, clocking 4:33.32. In the men’s 21km, Ly Nhan Tin of Vietnam came first (1:55.14) while Anna Fritz of Germany secured top for women.