BEIJING, Nov. 11, 2024 — The 2024 Beijing E-Town Half Marathon, held on November 10, showcased a unique blend of technology and sports, promoting a dialogue between ecology and health. The humanoid robots named “TianGong” cheered on the runners, leading the way with an “Autonomous Driving Ensemble,” and the event earned dual certifications as a “Green Race” and for carbon neutrality.
The event featured a half marathon and a health run. At 8:00 AM, 9,000 runners started from the entrance of Nanhazi Park in Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (BDA).
Of these, 7,000 participants ran the 21.0975-kilometer course, exploring the beauty of BDA’s technology, ecology, and culture with their steps. They ran along the autumn breeze of Nanyou Park and the scenic 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, finally reaching the finish line at the National Information Technology Innovation Park in BDA.
After intense competition, Zheng Canran and Liu Wenqing from mainland China 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.
Highlighting the event’s technological focus, the 2024 Beijing E-Town Half Marathon utilized digital management tools, including race information networks, electronic item collection, and facial recognition. Taking advantage of BDA’s position as a high-level autonomous driving demonstration area in Beijing, the race provided 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 used recyclable materials in service provisions to reduce 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
CONTACT: Contact person: Ms. Zhu, Tel: 86-10-63074558
