A runner who took part in the 10-kilometre section of the Guangzhou Marathon died at around 6 a.m. today after collapsing at the race, Yangcheng Evening News reports.

Chen Jie, 21, who originally came from Maoming, was a 3rd year student at Guangdong AIB Polytechnic. He could not be resuscitated, according to the head of the coronary unit at the Ersha Dao section of Guangdong Central Hospital.

An investigation is taking place as to the cause of death and raises questions about whether he should have been allowed to compete.

According to the paper, the organizers of the marathon had arranged for 20 ambulances, 250 medical staff, 380 volunteers, and 17 treatment rooms.  More than 1,500 participants suffered from illnesses such as nausea and heat exhaustion.

As soon as Chen collapsed, seven medical staff surrounded him and found that he had stopped breathing. After 10 minutes, he was taken by ambulance to the hospital where efforts proved inadequate.

This comes after calls were made for primary and middle schools in Shenzhen to remove long distance running events from sports meetings due to safety concerns.

In September, a 13 year-old student in Shenzhen died during military training, according to Shenzhen Daily.