Two Humanoid Robots Will Run the 2026 Malaysia Marathon

Honor's A1 and D1 make their first public appearance outside China at the August 30 race, the D1 in the 10K and the A1 in the 5K alongside Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, before joining Malaysia's National Day parade in Putrajaya.

Published: Aug 19, 2026 12:00 pm

Jessy Carveth

Jessy Carveth

Jessy is our Senior News Editor, pro cyclist and former track and field athlete with a Bachelors degree in Kinesiology.

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The 2026 Malaysia Marathon will have a couple of entrants who do not need running shoes, energy gels, or a motivational playlist. Honor is bringing two of its humanoid robots, the A1 and the D1, to Kuala Lumpur for their first public appearance outside China, and both machines are on the start lists for the August 30 race before joining Malaysia’s National Day parade a day later.

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Which Robot Runs What

The tougher assignment goes to the D1, which will tackle the 10K, setting off from Pavilion Kuala Lumpur at midnight. Honor says the run will test the robot’s speed, stability, and ability to handle the course underfoot. The A1 gets the gentler shift in the 5K, flagging off from KLCC at 7:30 a.m., a category that, according to Honor, is also set to include Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The D1’s Running Résumé

The D1 already has some racing form. It made headlines earlier this year when a humanoid robot ran a half marathon faster than any human, with Honor saying the D1 covered the 21.0975km distance in 50 minutes and 26 seconds to win the second Beijing E-Town Humanoid Robot Half-Marathon in April. That event, part of a growing scene of robots taking on distance races in China, also handed the D1 a Best Design award and the A1 a Best Gait award. Malaysia will be the first country outside China to see the pair race in public.

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From the Marathon to the Merdeka Parade

Honor is not stopping at the finish line. On August 31, the A1 and D1 head to Dataran Putrajaya to take part in Malaysia’s 69th National Day parade, which the company says is its first appearance as a parade contingent and the first by a smartphone brand. Before that, both robots will appear at Honor booths at KLCC and Pavilion Kuala Lumpur on August 29 and 30, where visitors can see them up close and take photos.

There will be phones too. Honor plans to show off its Magic V6, X9d, and 600 Series, along with the usual durability demonstrations, but for one Merdeka weekend the robots are likely to be the draw, running through Kuala Lumpur and marching in Putrajaya.

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