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U.S. Navy Commander to run “Boston Marathon” in Space

Posted April 4th, 2007 at 6:51 PM by Sarah Mandell

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Suni Williams Boston Marathon in Space NASA U.S. Navy commander Suni Williams will be running the Boston Marathon this year, but she’ll be running the marathon from a location 210 miles (338 km) above Earth’s surface in the International Space Station.

Williams will run the 26.2 miles on a treadmill; one that she will be teathered to with a bungee cord. Unfortunately, Williams will not be able to run the marathon at the same time as the rest of the runners, 10 am EST, due to her sleep schedule in outer space.

“I’m not sure the timing will be that she’ll be awake,” said Dina Pandya, Williams’ sister who will be running the race in Boston with the rest of the 24,000 other runners.

Williams, 41, finished last January’s Houston Marathon in 3 hours, 29 minutes, and 57 seconds, qualifying her for the Boston marathon. But when on December 9 she took off on the space shuttle Discovery, she realized that she was not going to be able to be in Boston for the race.

“I considered it a huge honor to qualify, and I didn’t want my qualification to expire without giving it a shot,” Williams told the Boston Athletic Association.

This isn’t the first time that the Boston marathon has been run from other locations. The Boston Athletic Association (BAA) has organized such events as the “Boston Marathon in Iraq.” They sent out packages of trophies, water bottles, and even finish line tape to troops in the Middle East for the past three years. However, this will be the first race they have ever had on a satellite.

The BAA is thrilled about Williams’s decision. BAA spokesman Jack Fleming said:

“For Suni to choose to run the 26.2 miles (42.2 kilometers) in space on Patriots Day is really a tribute to the thousands of marathoners who are running here on Earth. She is pioneering a new frontier in running and in sports with her run, which will truly be out of this world.”

Even though Williams has run many other marathons, the physical toll space takes on your body will cause this marathon to be much more difficult. Due to the lack of gravity in space, it’s easy to lose bone density and muscle mass, making her training extremely important. Williams said:

“In microgravity both of these things start to go away because we don’t use our legs to walk around, and don’t need the bones and muscles to hold us up under the force of gravity.”

In space Williams will use a vibration isolation system in order to keep the space station from shaking. However, this too could provide problems for Williams because the machine puts a strain on runner’s hips and shoulders. Regardless, Williams is still determined to race, and race well, in this marathon.

Pandya stated,

“She realizes that she has to be OK (after she’s finished). She mentioned the other day, ‘There’s no hot bath.’ ”

Television and still imagery of Williams’ efforts are expected to be available. Video of her training on the International Space Station will air on NASA TV’s Video File. For streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit: NASA TV.

For more information about the Boston Marathon, visit: www.bostonmarathon.org

For more about the space station, its missions and crews, visit: NASA’s Station and Crew Information.