Running a marathon on the universe

An American pilot decided to attend the Boston 2007 marathon (US) on the international space station (ISS) next April. US Navy Lieutenant Colonel Sunita Williams was honored to be selected for this position after finishing the Houston marathon last year with a 3-hour record of 29 minutes 57 seconds.

US Navy Lieutenant Colonel Sunita Williams.(Photo: NaSa)

To implement this plan, Sunita, 41, will be tied to a training machine to "fight" with the influence of zero gravity. Williams is the first contestant to participate in the Boston marathon on an altitude of 338km from the earth.

However, the main driving force behind Sunita's determination to attend a marathon on the ISS is the spectacular flight into space on December 7, 2006. That event led her to become the second Indian American woman to fly into space and urged Sunita to make another journey.

In an interview with the Boston Athletics Association (BAA), Sunita said: 'I consider this a great honor to prove my ability and I want to try it once.'

Sunita is also the one who broke the women's time record in space with 22 hours and 27 minutes and is expected to break the record again before returning home this summer.

Jack Fleming, a spokesman for BAA, said: The Boston Marathon is a top-notch tournament that all athletes dream of winning. Williams may be a pioneer of a 'new race'.

The world's first ever marathon Boston tournament was held in 1897. This year's competition is expected to begin at 10 am local time on April 16, just as Sunita Williams runs a marathon on the ISS station.

VTH