It's a full-on space race ... but not the kind you might be thinking of.
On April 24, 2016, one British European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut, Tim Peake, will run where no man has attempted to run before — in space. The United Kingdom's Principia is reporting that he'll run the 26.2-mile Digital Virgin Money London Marathon 400 kilometers above Earth in space, while the actual famed London Marathon is happening simultaneously on the ground.
How? Well, Peake will run the London Marathon as a digital participant on a treadmill aboard the International Space Station, where he's doing a six-month mission. Peake has been training for the event like any runner would — but factoring in obstacles being in orbit can present — and promises to keep Earthlings on the ground abreast of his marathon in real-time.
"The thing I'm most looking forward to is that I can still interact with everybody down on Earth," he told the United Kingdom's Principia. "I'll be running it with the iPad and watching myself running through the streets of London whilst orbiting the Earth at 400km above the surface and going 27,000km per hour."
Sheesh ... that's fast. But the attempt to run a marathon in space doesn't come with its fair share of concerns.
"One of the biggest challenges I'll be facing is the harness system. In microgravity I would float if I didn't strap myself down to the treadmill, so I have to wear a harness system that's a bit similar to a rucksack," he continued telling Principia. "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."
Good luck, Tim. Tech Times will be watching.
