Humanoid robots race past humans to set Beijing half-marathon record
19 Apr 2026, 08:59 Updated: 5h ago The winning robot beat the world record set by Jacob Kiplimo last month in Lisbon 19 Apr 2026, 08:59 | Updated: 5h ago
The 2026 Beijing half-marathon saw over 100 robots racing, including many vying for the podium.
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Dozens of humanoid robots raced past humans in the Beijing half-marathon on Sunday, showing huge developments from a year prior. The Chinese-made humanoid robots had lagged far behind in the 2025 race, with robots struggling to get off the starting line and many unable to finish.Last year's champion robot recorded a time of 2 hours 40 minutes, well ahead of its machine rivals, but more than double the time of the human winner. Just a year later, the 2026 Beijing half-marathon saw over 100 robots racing, up from around 20 teams last year, and many were vying for the podium.The robots were also noticeably faster than the professional athletes in the human race, who run on a parallel track to avoid collisions.Read more: Attacks on peacekeepers in Lebanon must stop says UN chiefRead more: Tesco switches barcodes for QR codes in UK ‘first’
The number of participating teams increased from 20 to more than 100, and several robot frontrunners were noticeably faster than professional athletes.
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The winning robot was developed by Honor, a well-known Chinese smartphone maker, and completed the race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds - beating the world record set by Jacob Kiplimo last month in Lisbon.Despite this, the humanoid had to be helped back up just metres from the finish line after crashing into the railing.One spectator at both this and last year's race said the developments in the technology were "enormous", adding: "It's the first time robots have surpassed humans, and that's something I never imagined."The variety of humanoids of different sizes and gaits on display has been taken as evidence of China's improvements in robotics.
