British astronaut decides to run the London marathon from space

Each year, around this time, we try to tell ourselves that we’ll get fit and eventually run a marathon. Naturally, we make up our excuse and fail miserably, which is why British astronaut Tim Peake’s upcoming feat makes us feel even more guilty.

In a pretty spectacular show of dedication, Peake plans to join in on the London Marathon from 400km above the Earth, while on board the International Space Station.

A specially modified treadmill, combined with a harness which will simulate up to 80% of his bodyweight, will allow Peake to run along in similar gravitational conditions to Earth, while an iPad with the free RunSocial app will let him track his progress against other runners, in real time.

He’ll even have a live video feed of London’s streets in front of him, to try and help him forget that he’s hurtling in orbit at 27,600 km/h.

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The whole course has already been mapped into the Run Social app by various runners over the past few years, so his final finish time should be accurate enough for him to feel a sense of accomplishment.

Peake will be shooting up to the ISS on 15 December, and will remain there till June next year, so the marathon’s 24 April start date should give him plenty of time to train up and get used to running in space.

Now if you’ll excuse us, we’ve got some fried chicken to eat. Sigh.

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Esat Dedezade Contributor

About

Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.