Beijing hosted a one-of-a-kind event on April 19, 2025, when 21 humanoid robots lined up alongside more than 12,000 human runners at the Yizhuang Half-Marathon.
It marked the first time robots and humans officially raced together over a 21-kilometer course, offering a real-world look at how far robotics technology has come.
Robots on the Start Line
The robots, built by Chinese companies like DroidVP and Noetix Robotics, came in all shapes and sizes—some barely taller than a child, others towering at nearly six feet.
One robot even featured human-like touches, including feminine facial features and the ability to wink and smile.
Despite the flash, the actual performance was mixed.
Tiangong Ultra, the robot built by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, was the fastest half-marathon of the robots, finishing in 2 hours and 40 minutes.
The men’s human winner, by comparison, finished in 1 hour and 2 minutes.
Most of the robots weren’t fully autonomous. Human handlers had to run alongside them, sometimes stepping in to catch a stumbling robot.
A few robots even wore running shoes, and one sported a headband reading “Bound to Win” in Chinese.
The course through Beijing’s Yizhuang district wasn’t easy.
The robots had to navigate slopes and turns, and battery life proved to be a real challenge. Teams were allowed to swap out batteries during the race, and substituting an entire robot was an option—with a steep 10-minute time penalty.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing. One robot fell at the starting line and stayed down for several minutes. Another veered into a railing after just a few meters, bringing down its human handler too.
Still, there was plenty of curiosity and excitement among spectators. “The robots are running very well, very stable… I feel I’m witnessing the evolution of robots and AI,” said He Sishu, an AI engineer who watched the race.
Why China Is Pushing Robot Races
Events like this aren’t just for show. China sees robotics as a crucial part of its economic future.
A 2023 policy paper from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology described humanoid robotics as a “new frontier” in technology, setting 2025 goals for mass production and supply chain improvements.
Tang Jian, CTO of the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, said Tiangong Ultra’s strong performance was thanks to an algorithm that mimicked human biomechanics. “I don’t want to boast but no other robotics firms in the West have matched Tiangong’s sporting achievements,” he said.
Still, experts are cautious about reading too much into it.
Alan Fern, a professor at Oregon State University, pointed out that robots capable of running have been around for years. “These are interesting demonstrations,” he said, “but they don’t necessarily show meaningful progress toward practical applications”.
Saturday’s race showed both how far humanoid robots have come and how far they still have to go.
Keeping a robot upright and moving smoothly over a long course is a major technical achievement, but it’s a long way from the agility, endurance, and adaptability of human runners.
Tang said the next steps would focus less on spectacle and more on real-world uses—getting robots into factories, businesses, and eventually homes.
For now, human runners don’t need to worry about robots crowding the podium. But in the years ahead, don’t be surprised if robots quietly find new ways to support—or even compete with—their human counterparts in ways we’re only just starting to imagine.
