A severe rainstorm forced an early end to Utah's Moab 240 ultramarathon, with about 70 runners and volunteers needing to be evacuated after spending the night stranded on the remote course.
Here's what to know
With parts of the route unsafe to exit on October 11, the San Juan County Sheriff's Office worked with race organizers on the response.
According to ABC News, event organizer Destination Trail said buses removed the final group from an aid station near Bridger Jack Mesa in Bear Ears National Monument.
Destination Trail said the rest of the race was canceled because conditions were expected to deteriorate. Runners were instructed to shelter at the nearest aid stations until crews could reach them.
The course covered 241.8 miles through desert, canyons, slickrock, and two mountain ranges near Canyonlands and Arches National Parks.
More background
The rainstorm that halted the race was part of a stretch of dangerous extreme weather across the West.
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After it made landfall in Baja California, remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel contributed to flooding in Utah, Arizona, and Nevada.
The same weather pattern was also linked to coastal flooding in Southern California. Rachel-driven ocean swells, along with longer-period swells partly exacerbated by an El Niño-enhanced Kelvin wave, were pushing water inland while heavy rain fell farther east.
As average temperatures rise, extreme weather events are becoming more common and deadlier, endangering communities worldwide.
Heavy rain and flooding can trap people far from roads, force emergency rescues, and shut down events and tourism activity that support workers, volunteers, and nearby communities.
What's being done?
As conditions worsened, focus shifted from running the event to sheltering people and getting them out safely.
Destination Trail told runners to stay at the nearest aid stations, while the sheriff's office coordinated with organizers to assist those who couldn't safely leave the course.
Destination Trail said extra supplies had been sent to aid stations before the storm. That gave stranded runners and volunteers access to warm tents, meals, and ample water while they waited for transportation to arrive.
In a statement to stranded runners and volunteers, Destination Trail addressed the decision to cancel the event.
"We know this isn't how anyone hoped Moab 240 would go," it began. "So many of you trained for months and traveled a long way to be here, and we're truly sorry the race ended this way. Sometimes the weather has other plans, and when it does, everyone's safety has to come first."
Where can I learn more?
Moab's shutdown fits into a stretch of flooding and storm evacuations that has left people stranded far from safety.
• In Vermont, the National Weather Service issued a dire flash flood emergency after torrential rain.
• Across New York and New England, a "1,000-year" rain event triggered deadly flash floods.
• In western Alaska, storm evacuees were prevented from returning home for at least 18 months.
• After major weather disasters, psychiatrists have warned that psychological injuries can linger long after floodwaters recede.
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