Peake may have logged just over 26 miles on the treadmill, but when you factor in the space station’s orbit, he traveled over 60,000 miles during his race. While speaking to reporters earlier this week, Peake mentioned that it has been tough to adapt the harness system, which he described was similar to running with a “clumsy rucksack on”.
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York dad Nick Bernard completed the marathon in four hours, 19 minutes – exactly a quarter of a century after he last took part as a 19-year-old and managed it in four hours. RunSocial also tweeted moments during the astronaut’s running, including one where he crosses the Tower Bridge.
While running in orbit, Peake was joined by two team members on the ground who were running dressed in replica Russian space suits. A Guinness World Records official was monitoring Peake’s run from the European Space Agency’s headquarters in Cologne, Germany. It is worth mentioning however, that he wasn’t the first person to scoop that record – NASA’s Sunita Williams got there first, during the 2007 Boston marathon.
“Good luck to everybody running, and I hope to see you all at the finish line”, Peake told his fellow competitors.
Elastic straps over the shoulders and round the waist keep Major Peake in contact with the running belt of the treadmill. The micro-gravity on the ISS works a number on the human body, destroying muscles and even lengthening the spine. His muscles relax and recover more readily after the race and any injuries like aches or sprains will heal faster.
Peake, the first British European Space Agency astronaut, ran the race in 1999, completing the 26.2-mile (42.16-kilometer) course in a time of 3 hours and 18 minutes, according to event organizers.
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When not being used to run marathons, the treadmills on the International Space Station are used by the astronauts for their daily exercises to counteract the negative effects microgravity has on their their muscle mass and bones. Many celebrities also joined the runners from his year’s race, including Game of Thrones star Natalie Dormer, who ran for the NSPCC, and Top Gear host Chris Evans, who took on the challenge for the second year in a row, raising money for Children in Need.
