On April 12, the 2026 Huai'an Xiyou World of Adventure Huai'an Marathon and Grand Canal Marathons (Huai'an) officially started. Amidst surging crowds and soaring passion, 15,000 runners formed a flowing ribbon of color. Traversing the scenic, flower-lined course, they ignited the city's morning with their strides.

Huai'an Marathon, since its first appearance in 2021, has evolved into a World Athletics Label Road Race and a Chinese Athletics Association A1-class event. Over the past five years, the event has forged ahead, continuously elevating its professional standards and international influence. This year's competition featured two categories—the full marathon and the half marathon—a total of 15,000 participants, including 8,000 for the full marathon and 7,000 for the half marathon.

This year's race followed the classic route established in previous editions. Starting from the Huai'an Municipal Government Affairs Service Center, the course connected iconic canal cultural landmarks and urban ecological corridors, ultimately finishing at the Huai'an Sports Center.

After fierce competition, in the marathon, Li Zicheng (2 hours 13 minutes 36 seconds), Sheng Wang (2 hours 14 minutes 36 seconds), and Zhao Zhaochuan (2 hours 15 minutes 10 seconds) won the top three places in the men's group; Pan Sufang (2 hours 36 minutes 55 seconds), Lu Yajing (2 hours 41 minutes 41 seconds), and Ni Zhiyan (2 hours 43 minutes 36 seconds) won the top three places in the women's group. In the half marathon, Yan Kun (1 hour 11 minutes 07 seconds), Huang Zhanhua (1 hour 11 minutes 42 seconds), and Chang Jiayu (1 hour 12 minutes 00 seconds) won the top three places in the men's group; Tian Meizhen (1 hour 30 minutes 22 seconds), Jin Xiang (1 hour 31 minutes 34 seconds), and Zhu Ying (1 hour 34 minutes 31 seconds) swept the top three places in the women's group.