Leading Kenyan runner drops out of freezing Hangzhou Marathon [VIDEO]

A Kenyan athlete was forced to drop out of Sunday’s Hangzhou Marathon due to hypothermia, allowing a Chinese marathoner to take the top prize.

As reported by the Canadian Running Magazine, the Kenyan dropped out at the 25km mark and was looking good in the lead. He had opened a huge gap between him and the chasing group and it was evident that he would take victory.

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Wang Hongwei of Zhengzhou, China, won the race in 2:15:03, in a sprint finish ahead of the former champion Su Guoxiong and Ethiopia’s Belete Mekonen.

In a post-race interview, Hongwei disclosed that he was in disbelief after thinking he was in second place until late in the race.

Hongwei, participating in only the third marathon of his career, cut the tape in a surprise win in sub-zero temperatures.

Remarkably, this was his third marathon in the last three months, with previous races in Beijing and Hengshui in September and October.

On his part, the Kenyan runner had a lead of about a kilometer around the halfway mark but began experiencing symptoms of hypothermia.

Unfortunately, by the 25km mark, he collapsed near Hangzhou’s Xixing Bridge, needing immediate medical attention, which led to his withdrawal.

Meanwhile, the race witnessed the coldest conditions in its 36-year history, with temperatures reaching -1°C in the morning, lower than the seasonal average temperature of 8°C in Hangzhou at this time of year.

The Hangzhou Marathon attracted a massive field of 36,000 participants which comprised 20,000 participants for the marathon, 12,000 for the half marathon, and 4,000 for the fun run.