The 2025 Beijing E-Town Half Marathon and Humanoid Robot Half Marathon are set to kick off in Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (Beijing E-Town) at 7:30 on April 13. The event will see humanoid robots and human runners starting side by side and competing on the same 21.0975-kilometer course. The registration for participants commenced at 10:00 on March 5 and will end at 17:00 on March 11. Registration for the teams with humanoid robots can be made via the Maramara App.

The race will start at the South Square of Nanhaizi Park (Phase I) and finish at the National Information Technology Application Innovation Industrial Park (Xinchuang Park) located by Tongming Lake. Both humanoid robots and human participants will start simultaneously from the same starting point. For safety purpose, the organizers will utilize barriers or green belts throughout the course for separation. Robots and athletes will share the same route but run on separate tracks. To enable more robots to complete the race successfully, the organizers have set a cut-off time of approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes for the robotic participants. During the race, teams will be allowed to replace batteries or opt for robot relays to complete the full course. The final standings will be determined by completion time and the number of robot swaps, with each robot swap incurring a ten-minute penalty.

Participating robots are required to have a humanoid appearance and be capable of bipedal walking or running, while robots with wheeled designs are not eligible to participate. In terms of control methods, both manual remote control (including semi-autonomous) and fully autonomous control are acceptable. Teams must ensure that their robots pose no risk to the track, other participating robots, or surrounding individuals. Compliance with all event regulations, including race routes, competition rules, and any specific technical requirements, is mandatory.

The event offers prizes for the top three finishers, with awards of CNY 5,000, CNY 4,000, and CNY 3,000, respectively. Additional accolades include awards for completion, best endurance, most popular, best gait, and best creative design, among others. Beyond competitive prizes, the event has also prepared generous incentives for technological innovation and research and development, aiming to recognize and commend the groundbreaking advancements made by humanoid robot development teams.

(Sources: Beijing Daily, Beijing Fabu)