Humanoid Robots Race Past Human Records in Beijing E-Town Half-Marathon: HONOR Leads the Pack

Over 300 humanoid robots from 26 companies, including HONOR, Unitree, and Xiaomi, competed against approximately 12,000 humans in the second annual Beijing E-Town Humanoid Robot Half-Marathon on April 19, 2026. Following full-scale pre-race tests in March and early April, this official scored event on the 21.0975 km Olympic Park course showcased China's robotics surge, with robots sweeping the podium and shattering the human world record of 57:20.

HONOR's "Lightning" (Qitian Dasheng) H1 model dominated in autonomous mode, clocking a net 50:26 after scoring adjustments (raw remote variant at 48:19), taking first, second, and third. Weighing 65 kg with 43 degrees of freedom, MagicMind AI, and LiDAR navigation, it handled crowds, inclines, and minor collisions flawlessly—40% of bots ran fully autonomous despite challenges like falls.

Unitree's G1 bots placed fourth and fifth, leveraging carbon-fiber legs and predictive AI for endurance, while Xiaomi's CyberOne trailed but collected valuable real-world data. Formats pitted autonomous (weight 1.0) against remote control (1.2 penalty), emphasizing safety and adaptability over raw speed.

Organized by the Beijing Sports Bureau, the race built on 2025's inaugural and tests like the March practice and April 11 simulation, generating datasets for logistics, disaster response, and sports. "This is evolution in motion," said HONOR VP Zhang Lei, as crowds cheered hybrid potential.

Global Ripples

Western outlets like ESPN hailed the feats, sparking ethics talks on fairness and jobs. In South Africa, with HONOR's strong smartphone presence and Cape Town robotics hubs, parallels emerge for mining or flood relief, could we adapt these for Comrades relays?

Watch race highlights here: https://youtu.be/ikd7EcKvONo?si=OcWRlG5lgIZ0MJOB