World's First Humanoid Robot Marathon Postponed Due To Windy Weather

Robot Humanoids are ready to follow Beijing Yizhuang Half Marathon 2025 (photo: x @globaltimesnews ·)

JAKARTA The world's first half marathon event that will involve a humanoid robot has been officially postponed by the organizing committee due to bad weather forecasts in Beijing this weekend. It is planned that this unique competition will be held on Sunday, April 13, but is now rescheduled to April 19, 2025.

In an official statement released on Thursday, April 10, Beijing organizer Yizhuang Half Marathon 2025 said that strong winds expected to hit Beijing could endanger the safety of participants, both humans and robots. However, experts think robots are more vulnerable to extreme wind conditions due to limited training data to deal with the situation.

This race is in the international spotlight because for the first time a humanoid robot will run along a 21-kilometer marathon track, competing directly with a human runner. The robots not only have to finish the race in a maximum of 3 hours 30 minutes, but are also required to have a human-like shape and movement, including a way of walking and running.

According to Li Quan, Deputy Director of the Yizhuang Regional Management Committee, this event is not just a competition for physical resilience for robots, but also a trial of artificial intelligence technology which is being developed intensively by various technology teams in China.

"This maraton is a challenge not only for the physical strength of the robot, but also for proving the breakthrough artificial intelligence from its development teams," Li said at a press conference last month.

Yizhuang, where the marathon is being held, is a high-tech area in Beijing that is home to more than 100 robotics companies and has the support of development funds of 10 billion yuan (around Rp 2.9 trillion) from the Chinese government.

This year is a historic moment because for the first time robots are allowed to complete the entire race track, not just appearing in the short segment as in the previous edition. The committee will award robots that can run the farthest without being replaced or subject to battery replacement.

"The development team must ensure that these robots do not damage the track, do not hit other robots, or interfere with the human participants around them," said Li.

As a form of additional innovation, this year's opening ceremony will also be guided by robots, emphasizing the high-tech atmosphere carried out at the event.

Participants from various robotic companies began testing their robots on the marathon track in Beijing. According to CCTV reports, some of the robots have demonstrated extraordinary capabilities in pre-marathon exercises.

The surge in interest in humanoid robots in China itself comes as AI technology adoption increases, driven by startup successes such as DeepSek. Amid the economic slowdown and rising labor costs, many Chinese companies are starting to view robots as long-term operational efficiency solutions.

With this marathon delayed, the public's enthusiasm did not recede. Many parties are even more curious about the performance of the robots in facing real physical challenges on the open field.

China seems serious about showing its dominance in the future technology sector, and the humanoid robot marathon is one of the advanced storefronts that brings together the power of innovation, sport, and artificial intelligence on a global stage.