Chinese humanoid robot Lightning won the Beijing Humanoid Robot Half-Marathon on April 19 in the Yizhuang tech district, finishing the 21 km course in 50 minutes 26 seconds and beating the men's world record of 57 minutes 20 seconds set by Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo in March 2026. [1, 2]
The robot, designed by Chinese smartphone maker Honor, stood 169 cm tall and had 95 cm legs. Honor engineer Du Xiaodi pointed to "the humanoid robots’ long legs, which measure 95 cm each, and their liquid cooling system" as key features, while chief architect Yan Bin said, "To achieve the requisite step frequency, sufficient power must be supplied to move the robot’s legs … equivalent to the power output of a high-performance car." [1, 2]
The second- and third-place robots also ran faster than the men's half-marathon record, with times of about 53 minutes. More than 100 teams and about 300 humanoid robots took part in the race, which also had about 12,000 human runners on an adjacent lane. [1, 2]
The event tested robots on winding roads, obstacles, uphill and downhill sections, and battery endurance. Battery changes were allowed at designated stations. About 40% of the entrants, or 18 teams, competed autonomously, while the rest were remotely controlled, and the autonomous robots received a scoring advantage. [1, 2]
China's broader humanoid robot industry also loomed over the race. Chinese companies accounted for about 90% of global humanoid robot sales in 2025. The 2025 champion, Tiangong, finished that year's race in 2 hours 40 minutes 42 seconds, far slower than the 2026 winners. [1]
Organizers said more than 100 teams entered the 2026 race, but only 47 of 102 registered robots finished. The next test for the field will be the 2027 edition, after the first race in 2025 and the expanded event in 2026. [1, 2]
