A British astronaut has completed a full-course marathon on the International Space Station, 400 kilometers from the earth.
British Major Tim Peake (44) had officially signed up for this year’s London Marathon that brought together more than 40,000 runners, and participated in the race on Monday (local time).
He tied up his body on the treadmill to prevent the body from floating in a gravity-free state in space to run the race.
He finished the run with a time of 3:35:21, breaking the record set by American female astronaut Sunita Williams who took part in the Boston Marathon in space in 2007. Williams completed the Boston Marathon with a time of 4:23:46.
Peake’s race in space was broadcast in real time on the earth through his iPad. The BBC aired the footage once in a while, and the organizers of the 2016 London Marathon checked official time to certify his record. The monitor mounted on the treadmill presented him with the course for the London Marathon, which concurrently took place with his run, while Peake’s colleagues cleaned him to prevent his sweat drops from floating around.
After finishing the London Marathon, Peake told the European Space Agency via a video message that ‘”It was a great day to run, the weather held up thank goodness.” The space agency said that running on the International Space Station is more difficult than running on the ground, adding that it is like running while you are carrying 10 to 20 kilograms in the back.
