For decades, the half marathon has been a measuring stick of human endurance, a 13.1-mile (21.08 kilometre) testament to the limits of heart and lung and muscles.

But on a crisp Sunday in the Beijing E-Town district, those limits were not just tested; in one year, it has become the previous era. Flash/Lightning, an unguided humanoid developed by Shenzhen Honor Smart Technology—an offshoot of the telecommunications giant Huawei—crossed the finish line in a blistering 50 minutes and 26 seconds.

The performance did more than just win a race; it shattered the human world record of 57 minutes and 20 seconds, set just last month in Lisbon by Uganda’s distance-running phenom Jacob Kiplimo.

While Kiplimo’s feat was hailed as a pinnacle of human achievement, "Flash" finished nearly........

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