Jan 14 (Reuters) - British runner Sarah Porter was pulled from the Montane Winter Spine Challenger South race after receiving death threats related to her charity work supporting Afghan women and girls, race organisers said.
Porter was approximately one-third through the 108-mile ultramarathon when organisers withdrew her on Saturday due to threats against her life.
"We made the difficult decision to remove one of our participants from the race following a personal safety threat," the organizers said in a statement on Wednesday according to British outlet The Guardian.
Porter runs the InspiredMinds! foundation, which uses artificial intelligence for humanitarian purposes including helping women and girls in war zones.
Race organisers disabled Porter's tracking device, which allows the public to follow runners' progress and location online, before removing her from the course at the Standedge checkpoint.
The decision followed consultation with Porter's security team and police, who were contacted about the threats.
Porter told The Guardian she felt "shame" and disappointment at being withdrawn, adding she had "let down the girls" she was running for.
She declined to provide specific details about the threats but said her foundation had previously encountered "unhappy people, threats, comments, a lot of hatred" related to its work.
The race takes place across remote moorland along the Pennine Way from Edale in Derbyshire to Hawes in North Yorkshire, with runners often alone for extended periods.
Porter said she bore no ill-will toward organisers and remained determined to compete in future races. Her GoFundMe fundraising page remains active.
The full Montane Winter Spine race extends 431 km (268 miles) to the Scottish border, with the first finisher expected Wednesday after severe weather from Storm Goretti.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
