Long Distance Runner

International Space Station – April 6, 2007 – She won’t be in Boston, but she’ll be in the race. NASA astronaut Suni Williams will run as an official entrant in the 111th Boston Marathon on April 16, but she’ll be competing 210 miles above Earth aboard the International Space Station. This will be the first time an astronaut in space will be an official participant in a marathon. Williams hopes her unique run will serve as an inspiration. "I encourage kids to start making physical fitness part of their daily lives," Williams said. "I think a big goal like a marathon will help get this message out there." Williams, who is an accomplished marathon runner, has served aboard the space station since December 2006 as a member of the Expedition 14 crew. She will run the race on a station treadmill, tethered to it by bungee cords so she doesn’t float away. Williams will circle Earth at least twice in the process, running as fast as 8 mph but flying more than 5 miles each second. Her sister Dina Pandya and a fellow NASA astronaut, Karen Nyberg, will run the race in Boston. Williams and Nyberg qualified for the Boston race by finishing among the top 100 females in the Houston Marathon in January 2006. Exercise is important on Earth, but it is essential in space to counteract the effects of long-duration weightlessness. Station crews are required to exercise on the treadmill, a stationary bike and a resistive exercise machine to counter loss of bone density and muscle mass. Williams runs at least four times a week, two longer runs and two shorter runs. Due to the crew's sleep schedule, WIlliams' run of the marathon on the station may not coincide exactly with the race on the ground, but mission control is working to match the events as closely as possible. About 24,000 runners are expected to participate in the marathon. "The Boston Marathon is the pinnacle achievement for most runners," spokesman Jack Fleming told the Associated Press. "For Suni to choose to run the 26.2 miles 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."

Astronaut Sunita L. Williams, Expedition 14 flight engineer, pauses to smile for the camera as she looks over procedures checklists in the Quest Airlock of the International Space Station during flight day six activities for the STS-116 crew. Astronaut Sunita L. Williams, Expedition 14 flight engineer, equipped with a bungee harness, exercises on the Treadmill Vibration Isolation System (TVIS) in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station. Photos courtesy NASA For More Information International Space Station Boston Marathon

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