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Canadian runner killed during Ragnar relay race on Whidbey Island, WA

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Published  July 14, 2025 11:33am PDT
Whidbey Island
FOX 13 Seattle

The Brief

    • A Canadian runner was fatally struck by a car during an overnight segment of a relay race through the Pacific Northwest on Saturday.
    • The race is a 193.5-mile team relay that starts in Blaine, Washington and ends in Langley, Washington.
    • Troopers say the cause of the crash was a "pedestrian violation."

WHIDBEY ISLAND, Wash. - A Canadian runner participating in the Ragnar Road Northwest Passage relay race was struck and killed by a driver on Whidbey Island early Saturday morning. 

A Canadian runner participating in the Ragnar Road Northwest Passage relay race was struck and killed by a driver on Whidbey Island early Saturday morning. The Ragnar Road Northwest Passage is a 193.5-mile team relay race that starts in Blaine, Washington and finishes in Langley, Washington. The event runs July 11-12. According to the Washington State Patrol (WSP), 55-year-old Hui Li of Surrey, British Columbia, was fatally struck by a driver while running along southbound SR-20 at around 3:31 a.m.

Deception bridge near fog along coast on islands, Deception Pass, Washington State. (Photo by: Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

The Ragnar Road Northwest Passage is a 193.5-mile team relay race that starts in Blaine, Washington and finishes in Langley, Washington. The event runs July 11-12.

According to the Washington State Patrol (WSP), 55-year-old Hui Li of Surrey, British Columbia, was fatally struck by a driver while running along southbound SR-20 at around 3:31 a.m.

What they're saying:

Investigators say Li was running in the southbound lane when he was struck by a pickup truck traveling in the same direction.

The WSP said drugs or alcohol were not involved, and the crash was caused by a "pedestrian violation."

What is the Ragnar Road Northwest Passage relay race?

The Ragnar team relay begins at the Canadian border in Blaine and passes through Bellingham, Burlington, Mount Vernon, Anacortes and Deception Pass before finishing in Langley. An individual runner typically covers between 11 and 22 miles during the race and often wears reflective vests and headlamps for the overnight segments.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

The Source: Information in this article comes from a press release by the Washington State Patrol.

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