A minimum of 4 runners are believed to have fallen on steep slopes throughout the early morning hours of Saturday, June 15, 2024, on the Extremely-Path du Haut Giffre (UTHG) race in France in unhealthy climate circumstances. Reviews point out that one succumbed to their accidents and at the very least three extra have been evacuated to hospitals with extreme accidents.
In a press release on its social media channels, the occasion mentioned, “It’s with nice unhappiness that we announce that UTHG has simply realized of a tragic occasion with the unintentional dying of a racer. The primary responders on the scene intervened instantly and supplied first help whereas awaiting his evacuation. All our ideas are with the sufferer’s household and family.”
The 2024 Extremely-Path du Haut Giffre’s official communication in regards to the tragedy at its occasion. Photograph: 2024 Extremely-Path du Haut Giffre
A neighborhood public prosecutor, Karline Bouisset, has spoken to an area media supply, “BFMTV,” and shared a number of extra particulars. She mentioned that one man in his fifties handed away, presumably as a consequence of cardiac arrest. She additionally mentioned that two males, one in his fifties and one in his thirties, have been critically injured with numerous traumas, in addition to another runner who was much less critically injured.
The three-day UTHG takes the form of a large-scale European ultra-trail pageant, internet hosting seven races out of the city of Samoëns, which is positioned about 30 miles southeast of Geneva, Switzerland, and 20 miles northwest of Chamonix, France. The occasion’s races vary from a children’ race as much as a 128-kilometer occasion, the Extremely Tour des Lacs aux Cimes (UTLAC). The second-longest race is the 96-kilometer Extremely-Path du Haut-Giffre (UTHG). It seems that some 4,000 folks have been registered throughout all of the occasions.
The 128k UTLAC and 96k UTHG have been scheduled to start on Friday, June 14, at 7 p.m. native time and 11:45 p.m, respectively. It seems from social media that the UTLAC began directly Friday night, whereas the UTHG was set to have a delayed departure of 6 a.m. native time on Saturday morning as a consequence of inclement climate earlier than it was finally canceled together with all the occasion’s different races.
In accordance with Bouisset through “BFMTV,” rescue calls started round 4:35 a.m. native time on Saturday morning, due to falls “in a mountainous space made slippery by the climate circumstances.”
Thus, this presumes that the accidents concerned individuals within the 128k UTLAC. Whereas there isn’t any official info on the places and full nature of the accidents, race individuals are sharing on social media that the climate took a flip for the more severe someplace round 3 a.m. native time and the paths became flowing torrents of water and have become very slippery.
Whereas the precise sequence of occasions remains to be to be decided, some individuals additionally shared on social media that in this time they elected to cease in numerous help stations as a result of unhealthy climate, whereas others acquired textual content messages from the group saying the race was being halted and individuals evacuated. Some individuals additionally shared that they noticed others take small to average falls, along with those that have been severely injured.
Media outlet “Le Dauphine” stories that the rescue course of took a lot of the day Saturday and concerned the race group’s sources, 73 native firefighters, and the Gendarmerie de Haute Montagne (PGHM) mountain rescue service from Chamonix.
This can be a creating story, and we’ll replace this text as extra info turns into obtainable. When you have been a participant and want to share your story, please contact iRunFar. iRunFar’s ideas are with all these affected by this tragedy.
[Last updated, Saturday, June 15, 6 p.m. U.S. Mountain Standard Time]
A screenshot from the 2024 Extremely-Path du Haut Giffre livestream displaying the lead male (left) on the Pointe d’Angolon descent, about 18 kilometers into the 128-kilometer Extremely Tour des Lacs aux Cimes earlier than darkish on Friday, June 14, 2024. The picture is supposed to exhibit the alpine panorama by which runners traveled.
