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| Image above: Flight Engineer Suni Williams is running
the Boston Marathon on a station treadmill. Credit: NASA TV |
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Race from space coincides with race on earth
210 miles above Earth, Expedition 15 crew member Sunita Williams, KD5PLB,
attempted something no other astronaut has ever done. She ran the Boston
Marathon while in orbit.
Williams circled Earth at least twice, running as fast as eight mph but
flying more than five miles each second, as she completed the Boston Marathon
on a station treadmill. Her official completion time was 4:23:10 as she
completed the race at 2:24 p.m. EDT Monday.
Williams ran under better weather conditions than her Boston counterparts.
In Boston, it was 48 degrees with some rain, mist and wind gusts of 28
mph while station weather was 78 degrees with no wind or rain with 50%
humidity.
The Boston Athletic Association had issued Williams bib number 14,000.
The bib had been sent electronically to NASA, which had forwarded it to
Williams. She’s a Needham, Mass., native and says her reason for
running the marathon is simple. “I would like to encourage kids
to start making physical fitness part of their daily lives. I thought
a big goal like a marathon would help get this message out there.”
Regular exercise is essential to maintaining bone density while in space
for astronauts. “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,”
Williams said.
No one knows that better than Steve Hart. For two years, he’s been
Williams’ flight surgeon. “There are specific challenges to
staying healthy while in space. Sunita wants to make fitness the hallmark
of her expedition stay. She wants to educate and motivate others about
being physically fit in general.”
Williams, an accomplished marathoner, has been training for the marathon
for months while serving a six-month stint as a flight engineer on board
the ISS. She runs at least four times a week, 2 longer runs and 2 shorter
runs.
Williams qualified for the marathon when she ran a 3:29:57 in the Houston
Marathon last year. Her biggest challenge running in space will be staying
harnessed to a specially designed treadmill with bungee cords. Williams
says running on the TVIS which stands for Treadmill Vibration Isolation
System can sometimes be uncomfortable. The machinery puts a strain on
the runner's hips and shoulders.
Mitzi Laughlin is an Astronaut Strength, Conditioning and Rehabilitation
coach at Johnson Space Center. She’s been involved in planning Williams'
rigorous exercise routine for a year and a half. “We’ve done
a lot more TVIS work than we would normally prescribe for any astronaut.
Suni has a superb fitness level. She’s dedicated and perhaps one
of our best runners.”
Here on Earth, Williams has a huge support network. Fellow NASA astronaut,
Karen Nyberg, Williams’ sister Dina Pandya, and long-time friend
Ronnie Harris will be among the 24,000 other runners participating in
the marathon. Harris met Williams during their days together at the Naval
Academy in Annapolis, Md. “Anything regarding Boston makes Suni
light up. Her running passion is manifested in the best marathon in the
world, which happens to be her home town. You need to experience the Boston
Marathon to understand why she is gonna do it in orbit.”
Race organizers say this will be their first satellite venture, and they
are thrilled about it. "Suni running 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 new frontiers in the running world,”
said Jack Fleming, Boston Athletic Association.
• Listen to message from Williams to marathon participants
http://www.nasa.gov/mp3/174328main_103_
Suni_Thanks_for_Running.mp3
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