A young runner died of cardiac arrest on the morning of Nov 19 in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, after taking part in a 10 km race a day earlier, a hospital source said.

Chen Jie, 21, suffered cardiac arrest after he crossed the finish line during one of the events held alongside the Guangzhou Marathon, the first of its kind in the southern Chinese city, on Nov 18.

After receiving emergency treatment, Chen's heart was restarted shortly after being sent to a nearby hospital for further treatment, the organizer said.

Sources with a subsidiary hospital of Guangdong Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine said Chen died at 6:05 am, after a cardiac failure again on Sunday night.

Chen, a student with Guangdong AIB Polytechnic College, was from Maoming in western Guangdong.

Zhang Huijun, a publicity official with the organizer, told China Daily that issues related to Chen's death such as compensation for his family are under discussion.

The organizer said another runner, 25, also suffered cardiac arrest after he finished a 5 km race on Nov 18. He is still in hospital.

Both participants are not professional runners.