Asia Wire

Humble Shepherd Says He Did What Anybody Would Do When He Saved Six Lives During 60 Mile Ultramarathon

A shepherd has insisted he is not a hero and he did what anyone would do while talking about how he saved the lives of six people when bad weather hit athletes taking part in a 60 mile cross-country marathon.

The tragedy cost the life of 21 runners who were caught by extreme weather during the middle of the annual mountain ultramarathon in Baiyin, Gansu province in China.

The tragedy happened when freezing hail and rain together with strong winds hit 172 lightly dressed marathon runners over the weekend, when most of the participants were still at least 12 miles away from the finishing line of the 60 mile race.

Shepherd, Zhu Keming, who rescued six runners during an ultramarathon in which 21 competitors died in Gansu, China, on 22nd May 2021. (AsiaWire)

Organisers stop the running but by then many were already in the rugged terrain, where the stragglers started to be seen by shepherd Zhu Keming.

In an interview he said that it was around 1 o’clock in the afternoon when there was a strong wind and rain, and he decided to head to a local cave that he knew in order to get shelter.

He said: ‘I guess it was about an hour later and I heard a noise outside, and when I looked I saw somebody standing there motionless. He told me his feet had cramped, he could no longer move. I helped him into the cave.

Shepherd, Zhu Keming, who rescued six runners during an ultramarathon in which 21 competitors died in Gansu, China, on 22nd May 2021. (AsiaWire)

‘His arms and legs were already stiff, so I massaged him and then put a fire to warm him up. I also dried his clothes.

‘Then for other people who saw the light of the fire turned up and came into the cave as well for warmth. They told me that there were still several others outside someone who’d fainted and can no longer move. I decided to head out into the rain to look for them.’

He said that he went up the mountain and found people lying around, including two that were already dead. He said he saw one who was calling and saying he could no longer move, and that his body was cold.

Shepherd, Zhu Keming, rescued six runners by escorting them to a cave (pictured) during an ultramarathon in which 21 competitors died in Gansu, China, on 22nd May 2021. (AsiaWire)

He had tried to help the man up to bring him back to the cave but could not make it on his own, so had covered the person with an insulation blanket and gone to get help from the others in the cave.

He said: ‘One of the men came with me, and together we managed to bring him back to the cave and warm him.’

Several hours later when the weather situation improved, he then helped the men down the mountain to a road where they were rescued.

Shepherd, Zhu Keming, rescued six runners by escorting them to a cave (pictured) during an ultramarathon in which 21 competitors died in Gansu, China, on 22nd May 2021. (AsiaWire)

He was praised as a hero but said: ‘I didn’t do anything at all, I just did an ordinary thing that everyone else would door. I’m so sad that there were so many people that could not be saved. Like the men that I saw that had no vital signs. I’m very sad.’

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