Space

Astronaut Tim Peake Will Take Part In The London Marathon In The International Space Station

Elaine C
First Posted: Apr 24, 2016 08:01 PM EDT

British astronaut, Tim Peake will practically run the 42.1-kilometer course together with 38,000 runners for the 36th annual London Marathon on Sunday. Furthermore, he will do it above the Earth.

Major Peake, who is four months into his six-month mission into space, said in a press conference that he would run by strapping himself to the T2 treadmill with a harness and two bungee cords in the International Space Station, according to Telegraph. He showed the bungee system into the camera. This will keep him strapped to the treadmill.

"When I run, these chains connect to a bungee system which gives me the weight bearing I need on my legs to stimulate those muscles, to make sure I don't lose too much muscle mass and bone density," said Peake. He further said that he will run like running with a clumsy rucksack on, which tugs and pulls in various directions. It causes bantering around the hips and around the shoulders. He added he had worn it and was used to it. He is happy to run the marathon in it.

Peake will use a RunSocial app to trace his progress and take photographs of the streets of London as he runs. To keep him motivated to finish the race, he will listen to "eclectic" playlist songs and have a video call to a house.

According to ABC News, this is not the first time an astronaut has run a marathon from outer space. In 2007, NASA astronaut Sunita Williams ran the Boston marathon in four hours, 23 minutes and 10 seconds. However, Major Peake will be the first man to challenge body test.

Peake said that it is unfortunate that the treadmill is not located by a window. With this, he cannot view the planet Earth as he runs the race. What would he eat for breakfast before running in the marathon? He said that maybe he will bake sausage and egg and have an early breakfast. This is because food in microgravity doesn't settle very well; instead, it just floats in the stomach, according to Peake.

See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone

More on SCIENCEwr