Robot sets world record at Half Marathon in Beijing

A humanoid robot named “Lightning,” developed by Shenzhen Honor Smart Technology, crossed the finish line first, setting a new world record. It completed the 21.0975 km distance in 50 minutes and 26 seconds — six minutes faster than the human world record set by Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo in 2025. The robots finishing second and third recorded times of 50:56 and 53:01, respectively.

The race clearly demonstrated the growing gap in physical performance between technology and humans. The best male athlete finished in 1 hour 7 minutes 47 seconds, while the top female result was 1 hour 18 minutes 6 seconds. The winning robot thus outpaced the best human runners by more than 15 minutes.

The scale of the event has grown fivefold this season, with more than 100 engineering teams and 12,000 runners taking part. Alongside participants from 13 Chinese provinces, developers from five foreign countries also joined the race.

This year marked a significant improvement in the technological level of participants, with nearly 40% of robots operating fully autonomously without human control, while organizers expanded the award categories to include prizes for best design and energy efficiency.

According to the organizers, the main goal of the race is to accelerate technological development through stress testing.

A marathon held on city streets allows developers to test system reliability in real-world conditions, evaluating autonomy, cooling efficiency, and the accuracy of algorithms. This approach helps identify weaknesses more quickly and improve components.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Dubai has completed construction of its first vertiport for air taxis, with launch planned for the end of 2026.