China’s Robot Half-Marathon Ends with More Stretcher Runs Than PRs
KEY POINTS
- •China’s tech hub in Beijing hosted a humanoid robot half-marathon on Sunday, with participation rising from 20 to over 100 teams.
- •An Honor-made robot finished in 50 minutes 26 seconds, beating Uganda’s human half-marathon record set last month by Jacob Kiplimo.
- •The race featured dramatic moments, including one robot crashing face-first at the start, requiring a stretcher, and another veering into a barricade with engineers chasing behind.
In a Beijing half-marathon that was part robot marathon, part slapstick circus, an Honor humanoid smashed the smartphone-maker’s slow-mo legacy by rocketing to a 50-minute finish, obliterating Uganda’s human record of 57:20 set just last month. But it wasn’t all speed and grace: one poor bot face-planted immediately, limbs scattering across the track like spilled Lego, needing a stretcher rescue team acting more like a robot ER. Another Honor robot almost hugged a barricade before engineers sprinted after it, clutching control panels like caffeine addicts chasing their last drip. From 20 teams last year to over 100 now, these bots may be faster, but clearly not sturdier.
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(1 of 3)Robots crushed human records and dignity at China’s half-marathon: one hit the ground harder than your Monday mood, another needed a chase crew. Update humanity? Maybe not yet.
Honor’s robot clocked a sub-51 min half-marathon but also delivered a high-impact crash demo. Biomimicry or blooper reel?
Humanoid robots running 21K and face-planting mid-race prove AI's still working on the manual override button.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 4/20/2026 | Author: Lee Chong Ming
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