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Czech runner dies at UTMB’s TDS race, in first fatality at running festival

  • Helicopter rescue unsuccessful following fall on steep descent from Passeur de Pralognan, with many runners stopped by organisers
  • Chinese trail running community, who cannot travel to France, share condolences after Gansu deaths earlier this year

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Runners on a climb during TDS at higher altitude than the main event the UTMB. Photo: Franck Oddoux / UTMB
A Czech runner died in a fall during the 145km Sur les Traces des Ducs de Savoie (TDS) on Wednesday, the first fatality in the history of Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) in Chamonix, France.
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At 12.25am local time, a Czech athlete sustained severe injuries after falling on the steep descent from Passeur de Pralognan, where runners need to use fixed ropes to make their way down. A helicopter was called in for the rescue but the runner’s life could not be saved.

Race organisers expressed their condolences to the family of the as-yet unnamed runner.

The conditions of the trail at that time were good, although it rained during the night, but race organisers made the decision to pull every runner before or at the Passeur de Pralognan checkpoint from the race.

This reduced the number of participants to 293, out of the 1,433 remaining in the race before the accident.

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