Taranaki ultramarathon runner Lisa Tamati is facing a ban from an international series after criticising organisers' efforts to save a competitor who died in a race this month.
American Nicholas Kruse died in hospital three days after suffering heatstroke in the 250km race through China's Gobi Desert, as part of the 4 Deserts series.
Kruse collapsed just 1.5km from the finish line, and organisers refused an offer from five runners to help him.
Instead they wasted valuable time sending a doctor and camels to evacuate him, Tamati told the Taranaki Daily News.
The comments sparked an angry response from race organiser Mary Gadams, who said Tamati would not be competing in the forthcoming Sahara desert as planned.
Tamati, who was the second woman to finish the China race, yesterday distanced herself from her earlier comments.
"It wasn't really my place to talk about what happened to him in public because that is something that should be left to the family," she said.
