The starting gun went off at 8:30 am at Moon Harbor of SIP on March 12 for the 8th "Bank of Suzhou" Suzhou Jinji Lake International Half Marathon, with the participation of more than 30,000 runners from 50 countries and regions like China, Japan, the US, South Korea, Kenya and Ethiopia in half marathon, short marathon, mini marathon and family run. This year there were 1,577 foreign runners, outnumbering that of all previous events.

The runners ran around the national 5A-class Jinji Lake Scenic Area, the biggest urban lake park, passing many modern landmarks such as Suzhou Culture & Arts Center, Suzhou International Expo Center, Harmony Times Square, Ferris Wheel Park, Ligongdi, Gate of the Orient and Jinji Lake Bridge.

The 1-plus-hour intense competition ended up with Seifu Tura Abdiwak from Ethiopia winning the champion of men's half marathon with 1 hour 47 seconds. The women's half marathon champion was Diana Chemtai Kipyokei from Kenya for 1 hour 9 minutes 49 seconds.