A Ukrainian runner has died of a stroke a day after disappearing while running an ultramarathon outside the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa.
Kateryna Katiushcheva, 32, was aiming to complete a 67-kilometer route at the Kuyalnyk Ultramarathon, a trail running competition that takes place at the Kuyalnyk Estuary, located about 20 kilometers north of Odesa, when she apparently lost consciousness, according to rescuers.
It took volunteers and law enforcement over eight hours to locate her and transport her to a hospital, where she died. The police have started an investigation into her death.
Experienced athlete
An experienced runner and trainer based in Odesa, a Black Sea port city of 1 million people nearly 500 kilometers to the south of Kyiv, Katiushcheva had been a running enthusiast since she was a teenager. Over the years, she had run multiple ultramarathons and won numerous competitions, including the IronMan Triathlon among women, which gave her the nickname of “iron girl” in Odesa’s running community.
Katiushcheva was also a member of the Ukrainian national team in 24-hour running, a form of ultramarathon in which competitors run as far as they can in 24 hours.
It is not clear whether she was running the Kuyalnyk Ultramarathon for the first time.
Katiushcheva was one of the leaders of the competition until organizers lost track of her about 10 kilometers away from the finish line.
The contest’s team and dozens of volunteers searched for Katiushcheva across the Kuyalnyk Estuary for hours until the police joined them.
Law enforcement eventually found the runner and transferred her to the hospital about eight hours after she disappeared by locating her phone with the help of a cellular operator she used.
Heat stroke
When Katiushcheva was found, she was unconscious. According to the police, she had suffered heat stroke.
According to Ihor Myshko, one of the volunteers who helped search for her, the runner was transferred to the intensive care unit right upon arrival at the hospital. But doctors said her condition was under control, Myshko wrote in a Facebook post.
According to Denys Sokolov, the spokesperson for the Odesa Oblast State Administration, Katiushcheva suffered a stroke at the hospital, which caused her death.
“You yourself understand what it’s like to be unconscious for eight hours in a desert when the temperature is 40 degrees (Celsius),” Sokolov wrote on Facebook.
The Kuyalnyk Ultramarathon hasn’t posted any statement regarding Katiushcheva’s death. According to its website, the competition is certified by the International Trail Running Association.
