Astronaut runs marathon in space

25 April 2016 - 02:15 By Reuters

British astronaut Tim Peake became the first man to complete a marathon in space yesterday, running the classic 42km distance while strapped to a treadmill aboard the International Space Station.As part of the London Marathon, Britain's biggest mass participation race, the 44-year-old spaceman saw London's roads under his feet in real time on an iPad as, 400km below him, more than 37000 runners simultaneously pounded the streets. Peake covered the distance in three hours 35 minutes 21 seconds, which was a world away from the time recorded by the real race winner, Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge, whose 2:03:05 was the second-fastest recorded. Peake's zero gravity effort was also slower than the 3:18:50 he had clocked on Earth as a runner back in 1999.On a six-month stint on the ISS, the astronaut had been the official starter too, sending the runners a good luck video message from the station in the 10-second countdown to the race, saying: "I hope to see you all at the finish line." He also tweeted a photograph of London from space accompanied by the message: "Hello #London! Fancy a run? :)"Then, it was down to business, using elastic straps over his shoulders and around his waist to keep him in contact with the running belt in weightless conditions as he ran. ..

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