# Humanoid robot beats human half-marathon record by seven minutes in Beijing

A humanoid robot from the Honor team finished a half-marathon in Beijing in 50 minutes and 26 seconds Sunday, beating the human world record by nearly seven minutes.

The robot's time surpassed Ugandan runner Jacob Kiplimo's human record of approximately 57 minutes for the 13-mile distance. The achievement marks a significant milestone in robotics, showing that machines can now outpace elite human athletes in endurance events.

The Honor team, which developed the robot, has not yet disclosed technical specifications about the machine's design or power systems.

The seven-minute gap represents a substantial margin in competitive running. For context, improvements in human half-marathon records typically come in seconds, not minutes. Kiplimo set his mark through years of training at high altitude in Uganda's mountains.

The breakthrough raises questions about how athletic competitions might evolve as robotics technology advances. Traditional marathons and half-marathons measure human physical limits: endurance, cardiovascular capacity, and mental resilience. A machine that can complete the same distance faster operates under entirely different constraints, running on batteries or other power sources rather than metabolizing food and oxygen.

No governing body has established rules for robot participation in human athletic events. The International Association of Athletics Federations, which oversees track and field records, does not recognize performances by non-human competitors.

The Honor team has not announced whether it plans to enter the robot in additional races or pursue other athletic challenges. The technology could have applications beyond sports, including search and rescue operations, military logistics, or industrial settings where sustained movement over long distances proves valuable.

Humanoid robots, machines designed to move on two legs like humans, have historically struggled with balance and energy efficiency. The Beijing performance suggests engineers have overcome some of those limitations, at least for sustained running on relatively flat terrain.