2024 Beijing E-Town Half Marathon Kicks Off, Humanoid Robots Cheering on Runners


BEIJING, Nov. 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On November 10, the 2024 Beijing E-Town Half Marathon began, celebrating the annual blend of technology and sports, promoting a dialogue between ecology and health. The humanoid robots named "TianGong" came to cheer the runners, leading the way with an "Autonomous Driving Ensemble," and the event earned dual certifications as a "Green Race" and for carbon neutrality.

A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.

The event comprised a half marathon and a health run. At 8:00 AM, 9,000 runners set off from the entrance of Nanhazi Park in Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (BDA).

Among them, 7,000 participants ran the 21.0975-kilometer course, measuring the beauty of BDA's technology, ecology, and culture with their steps. They ran alongside the autumn breeze of Nanyou Park and the picturesque Liangshui River, crossed the iconic Wenhua Bridge, and passed by renowned enterprises such as Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), North Huachuang Microelectronics, GE Beijing R&D Building, BOE, JD Group Headquarters, Xiaomi Industrial Park, and Ji Chuang North, eventually reaching the finish line at the National Information Technology Innovation Park in BDA.

After fierce competition, Zheng Canran and Liu Wenqing from the Chinese mainland won the men's and women's titles respectively, with gun times of 1 hour 8 minutes 45 seconds and 1 hour 17 minutes 38 seconds.

To emphasize the event's technological focus, the 2024 Beijing E-Town Half Marathon adopted digital management tools, including race information networks, electronic item collection, and facial recognition. Leveraging the advantage of BDA as a high-level autonomous driving demonstration area in Beijing, the race offered diverse application settings for autonomous driving technology. Robotaxis led the race, accompanied by a fleet of unmanned patrol, vending, and cleaning vehicles. The "TianGong" robots cheered on the runners at both the start and finish lines. After completing the race, runners could receive personalized AI-generated videos via the official WeChat account, capturing their memorable moments from the race.

This year's E-Town Half Marathon promoted eco-friendly and low-carbon principles. The event not only utilized recyclable materials in service provisions to lower carbon emissions but also achieved 100% consumption of green electricity, earning dual certification with the "Green Electricity Consumption Certificate" and the "Carbon Neutrality Certificate."

During the race, the organizing committee broadcasted the 2024 Beijing E-Town Half Marathon live through multiple 5G+8K ultra-high-definition screens inside and outside the district, offering immersive experiences to a wide audience. At the finish line, a carnival was set up featuring unmanned vehicles, intelligent recycling machines, and other scenes, focusing on sports, technology, life, and health, leading the new trend of sports fashion in BDA.

Source: The Organizing Committee of the 2024 Beijing E-Town Half Marathon

 

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