At 7:30 on April 18, the 2021 Huai'an Xiyou Word of Adventure Huai'an Marathon started. Runners from all over the country ignited Huai'an city with passion.

This was the first full marathon in Huai'an. As one of the "Running in China" sports events jointly sponsored by the China Track and Field Association and CCTV, the level, scale, and influence of this race were significantly improved compared with the previous half marathons. This race was divided into a full marathon (42.195 km) with 6000 runners and a mini-marathon (7.5 km) with 9000 runners.