The 2024 Suzhou Jinji Lake Half Marathon kicks off

The 2024 Suzhou Jinji Lake Half Marathon kicked off in Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) at 8:30 on March 10. A total of 30,000 running enthusiasts from home and abroad joined the competition. Ji Jing, vice mayor of Suzhou, attended the opening ceremony and fired the starting gun for the race.

The Jinji Lake Half Marathon, launched in 2010, has become one of the largest road running events in Suzhou and in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region. It was designated by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) as a Bronze Label race in 2020 and a World Athletics Label race in 2021. It was the first marathon race of the Grand Canal Sports Series 2023 and was rated as a typical sports consumption scenario in Jiangsu Province in 2023. The event has become a sport and fitness carnival for local citizens and running lovers.

This year's event included a half marathon (21.0975 km), a health run (about 10 km), and a fun run (about 5 km), which were attended by 15,000, 5,000 and 10,000 runners respectively.

The 2024 Suzhou Jinji Lake Half Marathon featured a running route around the Jinji Lake, starting from the square in front of the Suzhou Culture and Arts Center and passing a number of landmarks in SIP such as Suzhou Center Mall, Gate of the Orient, Ligong Dam, and Suzhou Culture and Arts Center, which offered the runners a good opportunity to appreciate the picturesque scenery of the Jinji Lake, a national 5A-level scenic area.

After fierce competition, Tadeie Demissie Yimer and Enatnesh Wallelign Tadesse from Ethiopia won the men's and women's half marathons respectively.

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