An astronaut is running a marathon this weekend — from space

Astronaut Tim Peake will participate in a marathon from lightyears away.

(Image credit: SHAMIL ZHUMATOV/AFP/Getty Images)

published 22 April 2016

British astronaut Tim Peake isn't letting the fact that he's in space keep him from running the London Marathon this weekend. When runners set off on the 26.2-mile course in London, Peake plans to strap himself on a treadmill in the International Space Station and tune in to live coverage of the marathon. If he completes the distance, he'll be the first man to ever run a marathon in space — nine years after a woman first did.

Peake, who has now been in space for four months, is aiming to finish in 3.5 to 4 hours, which would be a particularly impressive feat up in space. Not only will he be dealing with the inevitable muscle loss from his time in space, he'll also face the additional challenge of being harnessed to the treadmill.

While the harness will give him the weight-bearing he needs on his legs in the weightless environment, Peake's personal trainer, Patrick Jaekel, says that it will also add 60 to 80 percent of his body weight back on. "That means having to run a marathon with your bodyweight lying on your shoulders," Jaekel said. "It's very tough and very hard." As if running 26.2 miles on Earth wasn't already tough enough.