In a groundbreaking event this Saturday, Beijing hosted the world’s first-ever joint half marathon featuring both human runners and humanoid robots.
The race brought together 20 humanoid robots🤖🏃 , each navigating the 21.1 km (13.1 miles) course autonomously — no remote control, no external help. It was a true test of endurance, stability, and smart engineering.
🏁 Race Highlights
| Category | Participant | Time |
| Robots (1st Place) | Tiangong Ultra | 2h 40m 42s |
| Humans (Men’s Best) | Ethiopian Runner | 1h 2m 36s |
| Humans (Women’s Best) | Ethiopian Runner | 1h 11m 7s |
🔍 Quick Facts About the Race:
- 20 humanoid robots hit the course;
- Each robot ran fully autonomously using onboard AI;
- Engineers monitored their bots’ vitals throughout the race;
- A few robots DNF’d (did not finish) due to overheating and nav system bugs;
- The crowd was all in — cheering for both humans and machines like it was the Olympics.
🧠 Expert Take
“This wasn’t just a cool spectacle — it was a tech milestone. These robots are showing serious gains in autonomous mobility and energy efficiency. Putting them through something like a half marathon helps push the limits of what they’ll be able to do in real-world, high-endurance scenarios,”
said Wei Zhao, Lead Engineer at Beijing Robotics Lab.
This joint half marathon wasn’t about man vs. machine — it was about sharing the road. Events like this hint at a future where humans and robots aren’t competitors but teammates, running side by side toward what’s next.
