British astronaut all set to run London Marathon from space

Britain's first official spaceman, Timothy Peake, says he's ready to run the London Marathon in 1½ weeks—from 250 miles up. But he's not expecting to set a P-R, or personal record.

In an interview Thursday with The Associated Press, the astronaut said he's glad he's had plenty of time to get used to the International Space Station treadmill. He says the biggest challenge is the harness he wears to keep his feet on the treadmill in weightlessness. It tends to rub his shoulders and waist.

Peake hopes to finish the 26.2-mile race on April 24 in under four hours. He ran it in 3 hours and 15 minutes in 1999.

It will be the second space marathon: U.S. astronaut Sunita Williams took part in the 2007 Boston Marathon.

© 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Citation: British astronaut all set to run London Marathon from space (2016, April 14) retrieved 26 June 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2016-04-british-astronaut-london-marathon-space.html
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