Vienna - A swarm of hornets attacked runners at an Austrian long-distance event in Linz, cutting short the race for 20 contestants who had to receive medical treatment, local media reported Sunday. The painful encounter with the insects caused panic among a group of athletes on Saturday, who were in the last leg of a 52-kilometre mountain marathon.
One female runner jumped into a stream after hornets had stung her some 15 times and had got caught up in her hair, Austrian public broadcaster ORF reported.
A 40-year-old male contestant fell unconscious after a sting and had to be taken to hospital.
