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What Happens When 30,000 People Run The Beijing "Airpocalypse" Marathon In "Hazardous" Smog
Some 30,000 participants were wondering if the organizers of today's 34th Beijing International Marathon would cancel the event after "a toxic fog enveloped the Chinese capital and smog levels soared to “hazardous” levels." Adding to the confusion, and concerns, even the People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s mouthpiece newspaper, cautioned athletes against taking part in the 26.2-mile race, reporting that Beijing’s air was “not suitable for outdoor activities”. As the Telegraph reports, "Beijing authorities admitted their city’s air was "severely polluted” on Sunday while the US embassy, which also monitors smog levels, described the situation as "hazardous". The Marathon organizers' answer, however, was that the Marathon would proceed as scheduled.
As a reminder, this is what the Beijing Air pollution tracker said 8 hours ago when the marathon was due to begin:
10-18-2014 12:00 to 10-19-2014 11:59; PM2.5 24hr avg; 320.6; 370; Hazardous
— BeijingAir (@BeijingAir) October 19, 2014
And to think China was so demonstratively eager to reform not only its massive debt overhang, but its air as well: "Li Keqiang, China’s prime minister, vowed to “declare war” on pollution in March but Beijing’s “airpocalypse” marathon capped a calamitous month for the city’s environmental authorities."
Once the green light was given, most competitors chose to ignore the health warnings, instead donning facemasks they hoped would prevent toxic air invading their lungs as they gathered in Tiananmen Square ahead of the race’s 8am start.
"It was really exhausting," said Ma Dong, a 22-year-old male runner who was among those to use a mask. “Lots of athletes pulled out halfway because of the haze. It was really uncomfortable wearing a mask during the marathon as you can't breathe freely.”
Organisers told the Beijing News they handed out 140,000 water-soaked sponges to athletes, advising them to "clean" their skin after it was “exposed to the air”.
Luo Changping, a Chinese journalist, posted a photograph of one runner sporting a military-style gas mask. “I’m not running the marathon. I’m going back to the World War,” the journalist wrote.
Not all made it to the finish line across town near Beijing’s Bird’s Nest stadium. “Some of the runners have given up in the 2014 Beijing Marathon due to serious air pollution,” the People’s Daily reported.
Ying Wei, a 23-year-old runner, admitted his “lung hurt quite badly during and after the race”.
Just give it a few more weeks: we are confident the pain will simply go away.
In any event, the end result was a surreal photo album of the "airpocalypse" marathon, perhaps the best harbinger of the globalized future, as of thousands of people jogged across downtown Beijing in gasmasks.
At least there was no Ebola scare to force the runners to wear full Hazmat suits...
The #2014BeijingMarathon has started amid heavy #smog. pic.twitter.com/5F1HYDT8hL
— CCTVNEWS (@cctvnews) October 19, 2014
Crazy #China! Marathon tough enough - air for #Beijing #marathon 20x @WHO safe level. Face masks on. (@Pic: @PDChina) pic.twitter.com/xLugNxGY4f
— Jon Williams (@WilliamsJon) October 19, 2014
Beijing marathon today. pic.twitter.com/D749OKK2W9
— Wei Gu (@weigu) October 19, 2014
Running #BeijingMarathon in a gas mask -- Big thx to @china_chas who spoke to @BBCWorld: http://t.co/2qgnYyZw1D pic.twitter.com/XMCrwL4oQE
— Silvia Costeloe (@scosteloe) October 19, 2014
As if a marathon wasn't hard enough - #BeijingMarathon runners wear masks to combat smog http://t.co/3QZM6s9wUO pic.twitter.com/MbuH7UIzxk
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) October 19, 2014
On your marks, get set, wheeze! Beijing marathon sets off in heavy smog. http://t.co/CbnAdhJ819 pic.twitter.com/1s1PE0ThAf
— jonathanwatts (@jonathanwatts) October 19, 2014
Some of the runners have given up in the 2014 Beijing Marathon due to the serious air pollution in Beijing. pic.twitter.com/GoVpxcPcKH
— People's Daily,China (@PDChina) October 19, 2014
Beijing marathoners just ran through pollution more than 13 times the level considered safe. http://t.co/gqfPJjvZry pic.twitter.com/9McQubNw1i
— Mashable (@mashable) October 19, 2014
Beijing Marathon runners forced to wear masks to combat smog http://t.co/bljkyThJiu (PHOTO: AP) pic.twitter.com/E0y24tFDyM
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 19, 2014
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#Ebola
Ebola cruise ship ‘in utter panic’ as Mexico and Belize…
Passengers aboard the cruise ship at the centre of an Ebola scare are in a panic after being refused to dock at either Mexico or Belize, with one claiming “it’s like a floating petri dish.”
Latest:
http://tersee.com/#!q=ebola&t=text
Fucking Mexico has a lot of gaul refusing to let our people enter their shit country when Mexico and every other crap hole country flood the US with THEIR human excrement!
Mexicans didn't cross the border. The border crossed them. Same as the Palestinians. It's not my fault if you're a Jew.
Gaul?......
The French have a lotta de Gaulle. The Mexicans have Painya. The Chinese on the other hand inhale chog when they jog. And in Anaheim it's a smog smog world afterall.
At least their Marathon will be a historically accurate re-enactment: Runners collapsing and dropping dead after covering 26.2 miles...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon
BTW HAVE I MENTIONED HOW MUCH I LIKE THESE INCESSANT PRUDENTIAL !&!!!@$ POP-UP ADS?
The GALL indeed....
WTF ZH already.
Turn off JavaScript before entering ZH - it's the only way to preserve your sanity. Unfortunately, you have to turn it back on if you want to watch a video. But beyond the popups you have to wonder about what else an applet like this is doing.
Get Ad Block Pro. No pop-ups and all videos work fine.
Ad Block Pro is the answer.
NoScript if you are using Firefox
AdBlock+NoScript+HTTPSEverywhere+Proxy is the correct way to enjoy the internet. Add TOR if you're a real spaz.
Nice. But what do you do on an iPad?
You don't come here on an iPad...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynx_(web_browser)
You can try Virtual-Browser for Firefox App with Adblock plus on iPad, or better yet get an android tablet. then you dont have all the stupid apple restrictions.
What do you do on an iPad ? Have your period ?
Adblock Plus, no more gall
Use AdBlock Edge, a forked version of AdBlock Plus, which sold out to Google and allows some ads.
Also use Ghostery and voila, clean pages.
btw, ABE is only available for FireFox.
I remember the multiple times when a poster mentioned adblock and a Tyler replied about how it hurts websites. Haven't heard THAT in awhile! The Tyler's must know the ads are extreme.
I favor a paid ZH option with extra content, exclusive more technical articles, and of course.. No ads!!
Since I did not see a /sarc tag, I figure I would help:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Guadalupe_Hidalgo
Agree. Add Block Plus is a must.
Article: Just give it a few more weeks: we are confident the pain will simply go away.
What a joke! China economy is industries are heavily reliant on coal. The pain will be when they NO longer have coal, but plenty of pollution.
I didn't realize the Aztecs and Mayans ever lived in the Southwestern US. The history books and archeologists always said they lived in southern Mexico. Now we're being told that the Aztecs also lived in Boston, NYC, and Seattle.
Old news...
Unless they're all ISIS on that cruise ship.
And it rams into MH370
Then sinks
And hits a Russian nuke sub on the way down
Which launches missiles
That hit Fergusson MO
And cause another race riot.
Did I miss anything??
duh bilbo killed smog by getting the thrush to tell bard the hunter with the black arrow
hahaha
Excellent! Although I might have included a last caption where Obama goes golfing ...
The Kardashians were on that ship?
Meanwhile, Obama plays two rounds of golf today to make up for the one he missed on Wedneday.
Yep, the disease got out of the petri dish. Now which one is Kardashian? The disease or the petri dish?
Did I miss anything??
Yeah. How does this cause the stock market to go up?
Headbanger - Now that was seriously, piss yourseld funny!
Old news...
Unless they're all ISIS on that cruise ship.
And it rams into MH370
Then sinks
And hits a Russian nuke sub on the way down
Which launches missiles
That hit Fergusson MO
And cause another race riot.
Did I miss anything?
No........unless the missile happens to kill an illegal alien-transgender-handicapped-teacher/firefighter who was making a speech on income equality and racial injustice.
The cruise ship norovirus must be envious of all the attention the Ebola virus is getting. When the C. Diff superbug swept through American hospitals starting in 2007, it got no press attention at all, although C. Diff caused tens of thousands of hospital patients to have severe GI problems (many for months) and killed thousands of mostly elderly patients. The eugenics controlled American press ignored covering C. Diff deaths because most of the victims were elderly, overdue for death according to the likes of Bill Gates and the Rockefellers.
Exactly! I was on a cruise and that novovirus spread like wild fire infecting over 300 of the 1250 passengers within a few days.
That's what scares the bajeepers out of me with this Ebola virus. Congested cruise ships with everyone handling the stuff at the 24/7 buffet...I mean it's usually scary/dirty enough even without Mr E. Bola on the loose!
As a consolation, passengers have been told they can keep their Carnival cruise Hazmat masks.
if you like your Hazmat masks - you can keep your Hazmat masks
Guys, Guys (and gals),
Maybe it's already been said by others, but can we please stay on topic here? I start to stumble upon comments on Ebola regardless the ZH-article I read. Yes, it's a pretty serious problem, but so is ISIS, Goldman Sachs or Ukraine, as far as I'm concerned. Might be a good idea to save your comments and news flashes for the appropriate article.
That's the problem with America. Everything is our problem. Why is ISIS or Ukraine our problem? Does Russia interfere wit US-Mexico relations?
Well said. Amazing world we live in.
OMG!
No wonder rich chinese are buying property in CA-see realated ZH article.
No, they are looking to park their cash all over the US into real estate, NYC area is another hot spot for them.
Last I checked LA area isn't exactly clean air but compared to China it is for the time being, it will be a matter of time when levels will be like 1960s.
Fuck those guys. They move over in droves, buy up huge areas of real estate to live near each other and don't assimilate. Wonder why it doesn't feel like America anymore?
Nightwish - Well at least they repatriating some of that large wealth that headed East. Also, as a group they don't get in your face demanding hand-outs. Plus they are now hiring Americans, don't see many Mexicans doing that. Lot of Indians buying up local hotels too and I see them hiring Americans. Call it a consolation prize...
Exactly...I dont particularly like foreigners, but when Asians and Indians come here they don't turn their neighbrhoods into crime and drug ridden shitholes like certain races & ethnicities.
I guess these buyers haven't seen the Gubmint confiscate many of the Russians' RE or freeze their assets here. If your country falls on the wrong side of the "if you not with us you're again us" thingy, you could find all your mansions and assets confiscated in a flash. I bet we'll see lots more 'economic warfare' of this type in the future.
The Vietnamese turned parts of Orange County, CA. into exactly what you are describing, beginning in the mid-70s.
LA smog in the 70s probably wasn't as bad as when they just ran through.
Just thing mask serves two purposes. Decrease pollutants and Ebola.
Where are all the Kenyans ????
They wouldn't let the Kenyans have visas. They don't want one of them trying to pass themselves off as Chinese and running for president.
LMAO!!
LOL! N1
+10. Except they don't vote for president in China. Just sayin.
Anyone ever looked down on LA from the road to big bear? You can see the dust, smog and fun that the millions of folks live in. It looks like China is worse and that is hard to believe.
In Mexico City you have the priviledge of breathing fecal matter particles. It's so trendy.
No.... but I did enjoy the view drinking some sparkling cold Arrowhead water on a turnoff near Lake Arrowhead.... I felt like floating on the smog over the city it was so beautiful ...... Its kind of cool when the particulates act like a prism and make fake rainbows
But what was the winning time?
Are you telling me someone managed to finish?
Pete
Maybe, maybe not. Comes down to a question of who was the last man standing I guess. And where are all those Nike(tm) shoes and apparel? They make them over there but they aren't allowed to buy 'em? I hope Chinese are enjoying the byproduct.
I think most of the Nike slaves are kept in vietnam
6 hrs and 66 minutes ...
This is our future boys and girls. The 21st Century belongs to these people, until they die of contamination of the lungs before 35 years old....
Japan has a head start in the asian handicapping stakes....and the US west coast..
thanks TEPKILL...
Give them a break! Its almost Christmas time and those factories are pumping out plastic Jesusi and faux tress at a pace never before seen in human history, there is going to be some smog.
And we hand them fiat paper in return. Sure fooled them, didn't we?
What a fucking shithole. I can't believe anyone would live in such a hellish place.
We smogged some folks.
We could be enjoying the same if it were not for the EPA and all those air quality regulations.
I know, these damn commie dems and their regulations holding back industry. We smogged some folks. LOL...
General ambivalent
Are you referring to China or US?
The u.s. has an 'illegal immigrant run' and the 'Ebola run' coming up to be politically correct and not ostracize these minorities because they might feel discriminated against
Baby its coal outside
Comment of the month. +infinity
Well played.
Some say a comet will fall from the sky.
Followed by meteor showers and tidal waves.
Followed by fault lines that cannot sit still.
Followed by millions of dumbfounded dip shits.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcGjkeLfBsc
All that pollution is the by-product of our consumption. Enjoy.
Remember how the Chinese media was trumpeting the usefulness of the smog in not allowing US satellites to spy on China?
And how about the large TV screens to show the sunrise?
The truth is that you only need about 300 million Chinese to make the stuff we need. The rest of the Chinese are a "malinvestment" and the rest of the world is "malconsumption."
You can as easily say that it's a by-product of Chinese want for money (that's why they cater to our consumption), or by-product of Chinese want for material things (that's why they want money) and on and on and on.
There's a complex of industrial plants 10 km from the place I'm typing this and it's cleanish. Sure it's not a garden, but water, air, soil around it is fine. Germany would be much larger example for this. You can have massive production with minimum pollution - if people can effectively sue for damages (better, less ways to circumvent) or some anti-pollution sheme is in place. It just can be done. In China government took over full responsibility for regulating pollution - so it's their job, their failure and blame ought to be put on them and directly on the people polluting.
BTW There's also pretty obvious trend with wealtheir countries cleaning up - not only those that got deindustrialized, while poor are frequently dirty even without much industry. I've been recently to Morroco which is littered with domestic trash. In a smaller city it's easy to see prevailing wind patterns - by amount of trash blown out of it on each side. I guess you could in similar vein put it on France's tab - as a by-product of collonialism. Enjoy. Just to somehow get West on the recieving end of it.
I'll be damned if Ebola can survive this Beijing smog.
this reminds me... i'm hungry for chinese food
I'll eat it to show my solidarity with chinese joggers...
the least i can do
Don't worry. China took all those American manufacturing jobs and with it came pollution the likes if which have not been in America since the 1970's. But fear not, after the American debt collapse, China will complete the buyout of American companies and will re-locate those jobs back to America, where the labor costs will be dirt cheap due to the collapsed dollar. Then American workers will be making plastic figurines of Mao, shipping those over to China, and dumping the toxic waste into the Ohio River.
Pretty wild thought but I can see it happening as smart and ambitious as they are. Just imagine them the new "Bossmen" hiring merikans [and mesicans] to build the railroads and, as you say, building little Mao statues, ... kind of roll reversal.
I smell a Gung Ho sequel! Is Gedde Watanabe still alive? Will Michael Keaton reprise his role after winning the best actor award for Birdman? So many questions!
It's the circle of life NoWayJose. Cue up the Lion King theme song...
Brack rung.
Its not as bad in Arcadia M'Fers.
Salt Lake city in January.
SMOKE & MIRRORS
Why do you hire
Captain Solyndra kLAIN
He Is not back to cure OBOLA,or stop it.
Welcome to Global Warming REenergizer
"Stimulus Package" 2
He is back to setup the end run for global warming, which is a huge money laundering scheme moving money from the productive class of America to Democrat donor and the progressive's DNC's pockets.
Aint that right Mr.Po
Welcome in 21st century.
Awwww too much pollution! What we can do?
Me Know! We hold race, get 30,000 mobile air filters!
Avg human breathes in 50 litres minute whilst running. The race is at least 2hrs longs.
30,000 x 120 minutes x 50 litres = 180,000,000 litres of polluted air now filtered by the volunteers.
SMOKE & MIRRORS
Why do you hire
Captain Solyndra kLAIN
He Is not back to cure OBOLA,or stop it.
Welcome to Global Warming REenergizer
"Stimulus Package" 2
He is back to setup the end run for global warming, which is a huge money laundering scheme moving money from the productive class of America to Democrat donor and the progressive's DNC's pockets.
Aint that right Mr.Po
A relative of mine is dying of Ideopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. He's on oxygen and can barely walk and will be until he dies in a couple of years, with abilty to breathe reducnig every year. Not a good way to go.
I don't recommend abusing your lungs.
I would recommend terminating terminal people…. Unless of course the patient’s family is pitching in to save the relative.
No offense.
We are all terminal. Just a matter of time scale.
we're all terminal... you first
don't abuse your lungs
agree
only smoke well aged cigars...
“It's better to pollute them over there than here….
… and they have gas masks anyway, so this is working very well for them.”
You know you're old if you remember a time when people actually jogged for their health and not as a way to express their status and pride
Solar panels. Now.
short obola in chicom land. they have masks.
Bill, I HATE America. I wish I could just wipe it out.
Ayers: Throw this test tube out during your visit to Dallas next week, BackDoor!"
I used to run miles, but not anymore, now all I do is run to the bathroom and that's enough. Running to stay in shape and get some exercise sucks big time. A waste of time and energy.
All 30,000 could get in their cars, turn on the air conditioning, drive the 26.2 miles in probably under an hour and they'd be done with it, save their lungs from damage and be able to have Kung Pao chicken for dinner.
I'm a gym rat and just got back from 4 months in Beijing. It's hard to breathe in those masks just walking around, I can't imagine running in a mask.
Running a marathon in Beijing is one of the worst ideas I can think of.
Just to aggravate the tree huggers, I'd like to point out that life expectancy has risen two years in the last decade in Beijing, to 81.35 years.
To aggravate the Americans who try to feel superior because their air is cleaner, I'd like to point out that life expectancy in America is...wait for it...78.61 years.
No statistic out of China is to be repeated, because they are all lies.
There is no one over the age of 70 that I see here. ''Old" is 78 or 80, and they are far and few between. Most people will be dying in their late 60's or earlier due to a variety of reasons. Many men die whilst still in their working years, in their early 50's.
No way is the lifespan of someone in mainland China 81 years. Try 69.
life expectancy in china is 75
http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.IN
Beijing is for lightweights. I have been in Linyi for the last 3 days. They cut the air up in blocks and build retaining walls with it. You don't see the sky for weeks. America got rid of all the factories, so they have nice clean air. Being unemployed means you have a lot of time to enjoy it.
Ying Wei, a 23-year-old runner, admitted his “lung hurt quite badly during and after the race”.
Lung?
What happened to the other one?
Those gas masks stoll can't remove the Fukushima strontium and cesium. pointless.
Luo Changping, a sarcastic Chinese journalist, and future ZH guest poster posted a photograph of one runner sporting a military-style gas mask. “I’m not running the marathon. I’m going back to the World War,” the journalist wrote.
Handful of runners wear gas masks... the vast majority who do not are ignored. Hey look, psyops and propaganda.
Maybe Nike will make sleek new gas masks for runners.
if nike makes runners masks
they will probably be made in china
Man, talk about yer recursive functions! :>D
It was really an Ebola drill, not a marathon.
how about some of those hollywood climate fucks get over to china and shoot their mouths off like they do here - fucks like mutt damon
i don't want to downplay chinas smog problem, but how many died, were crippled, how many hundreds were hospitalized, as in boston.