Overview
- Lightning, which finished Sunday in 50:26, was declared the autonomous-category winner and led an Honor sweep of the autonomous podium.
- A separate teleoperated robot named Shandian crossed first in 48:19, but penalties and rules that favor autonomy placed it behind Lightning in the official results.
- More than 100 humanoids started on parallel lanes next to about 12,000 human runners, a jump from roughly 20 teams in 2025 according to organizers.
- Teams reported limits that still bite, including motor overheating, fast battery drain, falls and collisions during test runs and the race itself.
- Organizers framed the event as a real-world testbed for endurance and control under race conditions, with the performance leap over 2025 underscoring how quickly the field is maturing.