Space & Astronomy

Peake earns world record for space marathon

By T.K. Randall
April 25, 2016

Image: The First Guinness Book of Records
Credit: Whowhooh / CC BY-SA 4.0 (adapted) Being strapped to a treadmill in a weightless environment might not seem like the most ideal setup for running 26.2 miles, but Peake, who arrived on the International Space Station in December, didn't let this phase him as he completed the run in 3 hours, 35 minutes and 21 seconds.

"I'm relieved it's over and I'm sure Tim is, too," said the astronaut's exercise specialist Patrick Jaekel. "His running style was really good all the way to the end. It was a perfect finish."Despite carrying only 70% of his bodyweight via a special harness, running the marathon in a weightless environment is not as easy as it seems - not least because muscles tend to weaken considerably after months in space, which is why the astronauts exercise for two hours a day.

Fortunately though Peake managed to make it look easy and has even achieved a new Guinness World Record for being the first man to complete a marathon in space.

The first woman to do so was astronaut Suni Williams who ran the Boston Marathon back in 2007.


Source: The Guardian

Tags: Tim Peake, Marathon