A 55-year-old runner from Surrey, British Columbia was struck and killed by a pickup truck early Saturday morning while participating in the Ragnar Road Northwest Passage relay, a 193.5-mile team race through the Pacific Northwest.
The runner, Hui Li, was completing an overnight leg of the race on Whidbey Island, Washington when the incident occurred around 3:30 a.m., according to the Washington State Patrol.
Li was running southbound on State Route 20 near Oak Harbor, in the same direction as traffic, when a Dodge Ram 1500 driven by Rosita Naves of Everett struck him from behind. Li was airlifted to a hospital but later died of his injuries.
Authorities said the crash was caused by a “pedestrian violation,” though details about what that entailed have not been made public. Drugs, alcohol, and speeding were ruled out as factors.
The overnight hours of the Ragnar relay, which begins in Blaine, Washington and ends in Langley on Whidbey Island, are always among the most challenging.
Teams of six to twelve runners trade off segments of roughly 3 to 9 miles each, with some runners logging as much as 20+ miles throughout the race.
Reflective gear and headlamps are mandatory for anyone running between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., and Ragnar’s rules require runners to use sidewalks or trails when available and run against traffic when on roads.
But on this leg of the course, cones marked a route directing runners with traffic, not against it, which some participants called out online.
One runner who completed the same stretch just 90 minutes before Li shared on social media, “I ran this leg of the race around 2AM and it was scary, another runner and I didn’t understand why Ragnar had us running with traffic instead of against it (like they state in the safety video).”
A look at the area on Google Maps shows a narrow shoulder along this part of SR-20 and no sidewalks, conditions that, combined with pre-dawn darkness, create a hazardous setup for runners even under normal conditions.
In a public statement, Ragnar Events said:
“The Ragnar Events team is heartbroken to learn that one of our participants tragically passed away following an incident during the run portion of the Ragnar Road Northwest Passage event. We have been in touch with the family and extend our deepest condolences to them, their teammates, and friends. The weight of this tragedy is deeply felt throughout our organization and the wider running community.”
The company did not comment on whether the course direction for that leg would be reviewed or changed in future editions.
The Ragnar Road Northwest Passage is one of Ragnar’s most popular events, taking runners on a scenic route from the Canadian border through Bellingham, Anacortes, Deception Pass, and other coastal towns before finishing in Langley. It’s one of seven road relay events the company hosts, in addition to 16 trail races.
Li’s death is the first reported fatality in the history of the Northwest Passage race and has sent shockwaves through both the Canadian and American running communities.
While some runners have posted messages of support and condolence, others are asking whether the race’s planning and overnight safety protocols are adequate for open-road conditions.
Research has shown that most fatal pedestrian incidents during organized running events occur in low-light rural settings, particularly when course markings are unclear or when basic infrastructure like sidewalks or shoulders is lacking.
Whether this tragedy leads to meaningful changes in how overnight relay events are organized remains to be seen. For now, runners and organizers alike are mourning the loss of a fellow athlete who was doing what so many love, running with a team into the night, chasing the finish line.
