More than 20 two-legged robots competed in the world’s first humanoid half-marathon in China on Saturday, and – though technologically impressive – they were far from outrunning their human masters over the long distance.

By Eduardo Baptista and Alessandro Diviggiano BEIJING (Reuters) -Twenty-one humanoid robots joined thousands of runners at the Yizhuang half-marathon in Beijing on Saturday, the first time these machines have raced alongside humans over a 21-km (13-mile) course.

A half-marathon in Beijing featured a road race between human runners and 21 robot models—and showed how far robots still are from being able to mimic human activity.