All articles tagged with #half marathon
Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha set a new men's half marathon world record with 56:51 in Buenos Aires (subject to ratification), reclaiming the mark from Jacob Kiplimo, who had run 57:20. Kejelcha previously held 57:30 and is also noted for a sub-two-hour marathon in record-eligible conditions earlier this year in London, finishing second to Sebastian Sawe.
An autonomous humanoid developed by Honor shattered the human half-marathon world record in Beijing’s E-Town race, finishing 13.1 miles in 50 minutes 26 seconds and beating the previous mark by seven minutes; the event drew over 100 robots from 76 institutions competing alongside 12,000 runners, with some robots crashing or needing support, while a remote-controlled Honor prototype finished even faster at 48:19— underscoring rapid robotics progress and AI, even as machines still face reliability and real-world task limitations.
Honor's humanoid robot Lightning finished the Beijing E-Town Half Marathon in just over 50 minutes, beating the human half-marathon world record of about 57 minutes; dozens of robots raced in parallel, with some autonomous and others remotely controlled, testing balance, endurance and navigation in real-world conditions, despite a few crashes, underscoring progress and ongoing challenges with robotics for manufacturing, logistics and emergency response.
An Honor humanoid robot won the Beijing robot half-marathon, finishing 21 km in 50 minutes 26 seconds and beating the human world record, though the event included hiccups like robots faltering at the start. About 40% of the entrants navigated autonomously, with a separate remotely controlled Honor robot finishing in 48 minutes 19 seconds; the race highlights rapid advances in humanoid robotics and China’s push to lead in tech with potential industrial applications.
A Chinese smartphone maker Honor unveiled its humanoid robot Lightning, which completed the Beijing E-Town Half Marathon in 50:26 to beat the human half-marathon world record (~57 minutes). Dozens of humanoid robots competed alongside about 12,000 human runners, with roughly half using autonomous navigation while others were remote-controlled; some robots stumbled or veered into barriers. Engineers say the feat underscores China’s push in robotics and AI, with potential tech spillovers to industry, though AI software is still catching up to human-level efficiency.
At the Beijing E-Town Half Marathon and Humanoid Half Marathon on April 19, 2026, a humanoid robot crossed the finish line first, reportedly beating the human half-marathon world record, though it crashed after finishing and required medical attention as spectators watched; the event combined traditional runners with robotic competitors on the outskirts of Beijing.
USATF secured a one-time expansion to seven entrants for the women’s half marathon at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen, adding three athletes who were led off course in Atlanta (Jessica McClain, Emma Grace Hurley, Ednah Kurgat) to the team alongside the top three Atlanta finishers (Molly Born, Carrie Ellwood, Annie Rodenfels) and one world-ranking pick. Four will score toward team results, but all seven can earn World Athletics ranking points, with USATF covering expenses. The final roster will be named after upcoming US championships.
World Athletics granted USATF a one-off seven-athlete allocation for the women’s half marathon at the 2026 World Road Running Championships in Copenhagen: four scoring runners eligible for medals and team results, plus three non-scoring runners who will wear USA kit and earn world ranking points. The decision comes after an unusual incident at the USATF Half-Marathon Championships in Atlanta where the lead pack was led off course, risking automatic qualification for some athletes.
At the Atlanta U.S. Half-Marathon Championship, the lead vehicle veered off course less than two miles from the end, causing Jess McClain and the top contenders to miss a turn and finish 9th, 12th, and 13th; protests were denied, but Atlanta Track Club will award prize money for the derailment positions and USATF will review Worlds selection, with officials pointing to cones left unmanned due to an officer-down incident and the lead vehicle following a police motorcycle.
In the 2026 US Half Marathon Championships in Atlanta, the women’s leaders were directed off the course in the final mile after lead vehicles turned left instead of crossing a pedestrian bridge, because cones had not been deployed while nearby officers attended a downed colleague. The disruption left Jess McClain leading at one point but finishing 9th, while Emma Grace Hurley and Ednah Kurgat finished near the front; prize-money adjustments were announced and USATF is reviewing team-selection implications.
A lead-vehicle misdirection near the finish line diverted the leading women’s U.S. Half Marathon Championship, costing Jess McClain and rivals a potential podium and world-team spots. USATF declined to alter results, directing questions to the Atlanta Track Club, which apologized and vowed a full review of procedures. The piece argues for transparency and accountability, acknowledges the athletes’ resilience, and stresses the need for humility and systemic improvements rather than public blame.
In Atlanta, the lead pack in the US half marathon championship was diverted off the course after police responded to an emergency, costing Jess McClain, Ednah Kurgat and Emma Hurley their chances at the top, with Molly Born winning the race. The Atlanta Track Club will award the first-place prize to McClain and split the second/third prize between Hurley and Kurgat after the disruption. USATF denied an appeal over the misrouting, though the World Road Running Championships selection remains open.
Jess McClain led the US Half Marathon Championships in Atlanta before the lead vehicle steered runners off course for about 1,000 meters, forcing a U-turn and costing her the national title and a $20,000 prize; she finished ninth as Emma Grace Hurley and Ednah Kurgat finished 12th and 13th. USATF denied protests; the Atlanta Track Club is reviewing the incident, and McClain urged safeguards to prevent a repeat and for officials to 'make it right' for affected athletes.
Athletes protested misdirection caused by a lead vehicle in the USATF Half Marathon Championship in Atlanta; the protest was denied and the jury of appeals found a rule violation but could not alter the finish order, which remains final. The race was a selection event for the 2026 World Road Running Championships, with team selection due in May. USATF will review the incident and directs any course/vehicle questions to the Atlanta Track Club.
In Atlanta, Jess McClain briefly led the 2026 US Half Marathon Championships before following a lead vehicle off the official course; she and others then corrected course and McClain finished ninth as Molly Born won on the correctly followed route. USA Track & Field ruled the misdirection was caused by inadequate course marking and, while the finish order stood, organizers apologized and pledged a full review to tighten safeguards.