Runner dies in Kunming half marathon

The 2014 Kunming Plateau International Half Marathon starts Sunday morning. [photo / Yunnan.cn]

A college student died during a half marathon yesterday morning in Kunming City of southwest China's Yunnan Province, yunnan.cn reported.

The 20-year-old boy, a freshman in a local college, fell into a coma some 16 km behind the starting line and died in a hospital later.

The cause of his death has yet to be determined, the race organizer said.

Another nine runners were also sent to the hospital during the event. Four of them had shown symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and loss of consciousness.

The weather was hot and dry in Kunming yesterday. There were eight water stations along the 21-km route, but some ran out of water quickly.

More than 10,000 people participated in the event. The number was three times more than last year.