Beijing, April 19, 2025—Today, the world's first humanoid robot half-marathon officially kicked off in Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (BDA), marking a historic step in the innovative integration of robotics and sports.
This event attracted nearly 20 humanoid robot teams from around the globe, competing alongside human runners in a 21.0975-kilometer half-marathon. According to the latest tweet on X, the "Tiangong" robot took the lead, winning the championship with an outstanding time of 2 hours, 40 minutes, and 42 seconds, sparking widespread attention and discussion.
Event Overview
The 2025 Beijing BDA Half Marathon and Humanoid Robot Half Marathon was jointly organized by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology, and the BDA Management Committee, with the theme of "Leading the Future with Intelligence".
Robots and human runners started at the same time, but for safety reasons, robots had a separate lane.
The rules allowed robots to change batteries or participate in a relay format. The finishing time and the number of battery changes were combined for scoring. Each battery change resulted in a 10-minute penalty, and the cut-off time was approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes.
This event was not only a sporting event but also a "stress test" for humanoid robot technology. Li Quan, Deputy Director of the BDA Management Committee, stated: "The participation of humanoid robots in the marathon is a top-level test of their endurance, motion control, and environmental adaptability, aiming to showcase technological achievements, inspire innovation, and promote the expansion of application scenarios."
Highlights of the Race
The race started at 7:30 am on April 19th, attracting over 30,000 human runners and numerous robot teams. The Chinese "Tiangong" robot (Tiangong Ultra version, approximately 1.8 meters tall), with its optimized stride design, air-cooled heat dissipation technology, and lightweight structure, demonstrated excellent stability and endurance during the race, ultimately finishing with a time of 2 hours, 40 minutes, and 42 seconds to win the championship.
Despite the robots' outstanding performance, they still haven't surpassed human runners in long-distance races, indicating a technological gap.
Technological Challenges and Significance
Humanoid robots running marathons face three major technological challenges: stability, reliability, and endurance. Representatives from participating companies stated that the competition not only verified the maturity of the technology but also promoted the establishment of industry standards. These breakthroughs will contribute to the application of humanoid robots in disaster relief, industrial inspection, elderly care, and other fields, and may even become training partners for professional runners.
Yu Zhulang, Executive Dean of the Wu Xianming Intelligent Engineering College at South China University of Technology, believes: "The robot marathon is an excellent tool for improving the research and development of motor skills and is of great significance to the development of 'embodied intelligence'."
This humanoid robot half-marathon is just the beginning, but this is not just a race, but a 'marathon' for the humanoid robot industry.
