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Robot Beats Human Half-Marathon Record in Beijing
- On Sunday, April 19, 2026, Honor's humanoid robot Shandian won the Beijing E-Town humanoid robot half-marathon by completing the 21-kilometer course in 50 minutes and 26 seconds.
- Participation surged to more than 100 teams this year, marking significant progress from the 2025 inaugural race where winning robots took over 2 hours to finish the course.
- Although Honor's remotely controlled Lightning model crossed the finish line first in 48 minutes and 19 seconds, it was denied the championship under weighted scoring rules favoring autonomous navigation.
- Beating the human half-marathon world record of 57 minutes and 20 seconds, the winning robot's performance demonstrated robotic capability surpassing elite athletes, though some competitors required assistance after crashing.
- China invested 73.5 billion yuan in robotics and embodied AI in 2025, positioning humanoids for eventual deployment in housework, elderly companionship, and dangerous industrial roles.
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China, for example, sees a great future for humanoid robots in the military industry.
Chinese Robots Smash Human Half Marathon Record.
Two robots developed by a Chinese tech company have crushed a human world record for long-distance running at Beijing’s second robot marathon, with another Chinese robot recently coming within a hair of breaking Usain Bolt’s average speed in his world record 100-meter run in 2009.PULSE POINTS WHAT HAPPENED: Two humanoid robots built by the Chinese have completed a half marathon in 48 minutes and 19 seconds and 50 minutes and 26 seconds. Both rob…
The humanoid robot Shandian from Shenzhen completed the half marathon in Beijing in 50 minutes. Developed by Honor, he impresses with fast running technology and complex cooling.
Humanoid Robot Wins Half Marathon in China, Beating Human World Record
A humanoid robot made history in Beijing by winning a half-marathon. Credit: AMNA A humanoid robot completed a half-marathon in Beijing on Sunday faster than any human ever has, marking a milestone for China’s robotics industry. The robot, named Lightning and made by Chinese smartphone company Honor, finished the 21-kilometer (13.1-mile) course in 50 minutes and 26 seconds. The time surpassed the human world record of 57 minutes and 20 seconds, …
A Robot Won the Beijing Half Marathon: It Fell Meters From the Finish Line, but Broke a Human Record
An Honor robot won a half marathon in Beijing this Sunday after running just over 21 kilometers in just 50 minutes and 26 seconds. It’s called ‘Lightning’, it was remotely controlled and ran faster than humans. According to CNN, its triumph broke the world record of Ugandan human Jacob Kiplimo, who ran the same distance in 57 minutes, during the Lisbon route race, last March. This half marathon was held in the Yizhuang technological district of …
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