25,000 runners participate in 2023 Suzhou Marathon

Runners compete in the 2023 Suzhou Marathon. (Photo/Fang Xiyu)

The 2023 Suzhou Marathon was held in Suzhou city, east China’s Jiangsu Province on March 26 with 25,000 runners.

As Suzhou’s first city marathon, the event consisted of a full marathon, a half marathon, and a family run.

Yang Hua, champion of the women’s full marathon of the 2023 Suzhou Marathon, crosses the finish line at the Suzhou Olympic Sports Center stadium in Suzhou city, east China’s Jiangsu Province. (Photo courtesy of the organizing committee of the 2023 Suzhou Marathon)

Guan Yousheng won the men’s full marathon in 2 hours, 15 minutes and 41 seconds.

In the women’s version, Yang Hua was first at 2 hours, 38 minutes and 18 seconds.

Qi Zhenfei and Diriba Chaltu Dida from Ethiopia won the men’s and women’s half marathon, respectively.

Runners compete in the 2023 Suzhou Marathon. (Photo courtesy of the organizing committee of the 2023 Suzhou Marathon)

According to organizers, 10,000 runners participated in the full marathon and half marathon each and 5,000 for the family run.

The event’s route started from Jinji Lake and passed through tourist attractions and landmarks in Suzhou, such as the city moat and Hanshan Temple.

Photo shows a medal for the 2023 Suzhou Marathon. (Photo courtesy of the organizing committee of the 2023 Suzhou Marathon)

The front side of the event’s medals features a begonia flower-shaped window, a classic window type of the famous ancient gardens in Suzhou, while the reverse side is inscribed with the Tiger Hill Pagoda, a major historical and cultural landmark in the city.

Photo shows a foreign volunteer at the 2023 Suzhou Marathon. (Photo/Wu Hongyue)

A total of 3,899 volunteers were recruited for the event, including from the UK, Malaysia, Pakistan, South Korea, Armenia, Indonesia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nigeria, and Ethiopia.

Spectators cheer for the runners. (Photo courtesy of the organizing committee of the 2023 Suzhou Marathon)

(Photo courtesy of the organizing committee of the 2023 Suzhou Marathon)

A smart digital management platform powered by 5G, the Internet of Things and big data was launched for the event.