It can be tough to stay motivated when training for a marathon. After all, there’s so many great shows to binge watch on Netflix; bars and wine tastings to attend and naps to take. Many times, it’s a feat simply to strap on your shoes and get out there!
For one man, there’s no distraction that can keep him from completing his goal–not even the fact that he won’t be on Earth.
For astronaut Tim Peake, his mission to the International Space Station on December 15th is no reason to stop training for the London Marathon this upcoming April. He fully plans to keep his race plans on track, despite the added challenges of zero gravity and the intensive training that’s required.
“[When running on ISS] I have to wear a harness system that’s a bit similar to a rucksack,” Peake said in a statement. “It has a waistbelt and shoulder straps. That has to provide quite a bit of downforce to get my body onto the treadmill so after about 40 minutes, that gets very uncomfortable. I don’t think I’ll be setting any personal bests. I’ve set myself a goal of anywhere between 3:30 to 4 hours,” Peake said.
Despite the additional challenges that come with ‘space running’, Tim isn’t deterred.
To date, only one other person has ever ran a marathon in space. Sunita “Suni” Williams, a NASA astronaut, completed the Boston Marathon in 2007 and Tim plans to be the first man to do the same.
Whether he does run a personal best or not, we’ll be cheering for Tim all the way from Earth!
