At 7:30 a.m. on April 19, the Beijing Yizhuang Half Marathon & Humanoid Robot Half Marathon officially started. On the 21.0975-kilometer course, more than 100 humanoid robot teams competed alongside amateur runners. In the end, a "mecha warrior" crossed the finish line first, redefining public perceptions of robotic capabilities.
HONOR’s humanoid robot "Lightning," representing the Monkey King Team, won the championship with a net time of 50:26. This result not only far outpaced the second-place (50:56) and third-place (53:01) finishers, but also shattered the human half‑marathon world record of 56:42. Specters gasped in amazement as the 169‑cm‑tall, mecha‑styled robot sprinted steadily to the finish.
Notably, the event featured two competition modes: autonomous navigation and remote control, with results weighted by factors of 1.0 and 1.2 respectively. The remote‑controlled version of HONOR Lightning finished first in 48:19, but its adjusted net time fell short after applying the 1.2 multiplier. The championship therefore went to the autonomous navigation version of Lightning — meaning the winning robot completed the 21‑kilometer run entirely on its own, without remote intervention.
Key hardware for this record‑breaking robot comes from two Chinese manufacturing companies.
According to reports, Linge Technology supplied 159 core structural components and surface treatment solutions for the champion robot Lightning, with mass production delivery already achieved. This means the robot’s entire "skeleton" and "skin" were provided by this leading A‑share precision manufacturer.
Meanwhile, the cooling system critical to the robot’s high‑speed running was supplied by Shanghai‑based Huake Cooling Core. The high‑speed magnetic levitation pump at the heart of Lightning’s liquid cooling system was developed by this tech firm. During the 50‑minute high‑intensity run, the liquid cooling system ensured stable operation of motors, controllers and other core components.
A more complete supply chain has emerged. Further investigation shows that the 132 core metal structural parts for HONOR’s "Yuanqizai" robot series are all manufactured by Lensolex Technology. HONOR plans to launch small‑batch mass production in 2026, and Lensolex has completed capacity preparation: its Yongan campus alone can produce 500,000 units per year, with its Thailand base also expanding capacity.
From Linge’s full set of structural components and surface treatment, to Lensolex’s 132 metal parts, to Huake Cooling Core’s liquid cooling levitation pump — this record‑breaking robot represents a collective showcase of China’s precision manufacturing and hard‑tech supply chain.
Compared with last year’s inaugural edition, the number of participating teams in this year’s Yizhuang Humanoid Robot Half Marathon increased nearly fivefold. The event combined autonomous navigation and remote control categories into a unified ranking. In the end, Monkey King Team, Thunder Lightning Team and Spark Prairie Team took gold, silver and bronze respectively, with all top‑three finishers surpassing the human half‑marathon world record.
The event organizer stated that this competition was not only a test of robot speed, but also a comprehensive challenge for navigation algorithms, motion control, structural strength and thermal management systems. Lightning’s victory over the human record marks that humanoid robots are moving from the laboratory to real‑world extreme competitive scenarios.
(Reprinted from https://news.eccn.com/）