More than a hundred humanoid robots took to the streets of Beijing's Yizhuang technology district on Sunday, racing alongside 12,000 human runners in the second edition of the Beijing E-Town Half Marathon — and this time, the machines dominated. Just one year after a chaotic inaugural event in which many robots failed even to leave the starting line, the 2026 edition showcased a dramatic leap forward in China's rapidly advancing robotics industry.
The fastest robot to cross the finish line was Shandian — Mandarin for "Lightning" — a sleek red humanoid developed by Honor, a major Chinese consumer electronics and smartphone company. Shandian completed the 21-kilometre course in 48 minutes and 19 seconds, shattering the human world record of 57 minutes 20 seconds set by Ugandan athlete Jacob Kiplimo in Lisbon just last month. However, Shandian was disqualified from winning because it was operated by remote control rather than running autonomously. The official robot champion, Qitian Dasheng — also an Honor model — finished in 50 minutes and 26 seconds under its own autonomous navigation, though it too stumbled into a railing just metres from the finish line and required assistance to complete the race. Both winning times were comfortably faster than any human has ever run the distance.
The contrast with last year's event was stark. In 2025, only around 20 robots participated, the winning machine clocked over two hours and 40 minutes, and many competitors had to be carried off the course by their engineers. This year, more than 100 robot teams entered, and several of the leading machines visibly outpaced the professional human athletes running in a parallel lane — a safety measure put in place to prevent collisions. Spectators lining the course cheered the robots by name, with families, children, and elderly residents watching in a mixture of astonishment and national pride.
The event is as much a geopolitical statement as a sporting spectacle. China produced nearly 90% of the roughly 13,000 humanoid robots sold worldwide last year, according to research firm Omdia, putting it well ahead of American rivals including Tesla's Optimus programme. Morgan Stanley forecasts that Chinese humanoid robot sales will roughly double this year to around 28,000 units. The Beijing government has backed the sector with subsidies and infrastructure investment, and national television devoted extensive coverage to robotics during February's Spring Festival gala, which featured humanoids performing martial arts sequences alongside human performers.
While practical commercial applications — from factory floors to home assistance — remain largely in trial phases, Sunday's race illustrated how quickly the technology is maturing. Observers noted a certain poignancy in the parallel spectacle: the robots ran impassively and tirelessly, while human runners gasped, sweated, and occasionally limped — yet it was the humans who drew the warmest cheers as the race wore on. As one reporter on the course observed, the crowd's empathy instinctively followed its own kind, even in defeat.