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Sunita "Suni" (Pandya) Williams. NASA Photo.Race In Space:
1st Astronaut Runs
Boston Marathon
Some of us run a couple miles a day for routine fitness, but few of us can even imagine–or would consider–running the 26.2 miles it takes to complete a marathon. Now, imagine running those 26 miles on a treadmill. That’s exactly what Navy CDR and US Astronaut Sunita “Suni” (Pandya) Williams did April 16 when she completed the famed Boston Marathon from 210 miles above the Earth aboard the International Space Station. Although she didn’t break any marathon speed records that day, CDR Williams’ run was one for the record books–she became the first-ever astronaut in space to become an official marathon participant and finisher.Boston or Bust
The 41-year-old Massachusetts native set her sights on running the Boston Marathon after she qualified in January 2006 at the Houston Marathon, when she finished as one of the top 100 women. An accomplished marathoner, CDR Williams had no idea she would be living and working in space when the 111th Boston Marathon would take place in 2007. When she received orders to report for a tour of duty aboard the International Space Station, she didn’t give up her dream of entering the Boston race. “I considered it a huge honor to qualify and I didn’t want my qualification to expire without giving it a shot,” Williams said.
Staying physically fit while living in space is a challenge for any astronaut but training for a marathon in space takes planning and dedication. Along with her strength, conditioning and rehabilitation coach at Johnson Space Center, CDR Williams worked on a training and exercise routine for a year and a half before race day. One of the biggest challenges she faced was running in a weightless environment. At least four times a week, she was strapped to the station treadmill using a special harness so she wouldn’t float away. Since she arrived on the space station in December 2006, she has combined long-distance endurance runs and short speed-training runs, as well as regular physical training using a stationary bike and resistive exercise machines. Physical training for astronauts is essential to maintaining bone and muscle density in space. According to NASA, exercise helps counteract the effects of long-duration weightlessness on the astronauts’ health. In a weightless environment, bone and muscle density begin to diminish because you don’t use the bones and muscles to hold you up under the force of gravity.
Race Day
With countless miles under her feet, race day finally came and CDR Williams was ready. She even had her own “ground crew” to cheer her on. Her sister Dina Pandya, fellow NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg and other friends were among the 24,000 other runners in this year’s race in Boston. While the Earth-bound runners were slugging it out amid a cold and wet Nor’easter on April 16, CDR Williams was harnessed to her treadmill in the balmy 78-degree space station. With two laptop computers by her side, the commander watched previous Boston Marathons on DVD as she counted off the miles. Her “ground crew” even included NASA’s Mission Control personnel who gave her updates on friends’ finishing times and provided plenty of encouragement along the way. Mission Control radioed CDR Williams after she reached the 20-mile mark and said, “Keep it up. I think you’re over Heartbreak Hill,” referring to the race’s final hill.
With race bib number 14,000 taped to the front of the treadmill, CDR Williams ran a 10-minute mile pace and crossed the virtual “finish line” with a finishing time of 4:23:10. Her race number, 14,000, was special-issued by the Boston Athletic Association to commemorate her mission, Expedition 14.
Sharing the Gift of Fitness
Besides the accomplishment of her personal goal to complete the Boston race, CDR Williams says she hopes that her participation in the marathon will help get the message out about how important physical fitness is for everyone. “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,” she said in a NASA news release.CDR Williams received her commission as an ensign in the Navy after graduating from the Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD, in 1987. She was designated a Naval Aviator in 1989. An H-46 Seaknight Helicopter pilot, she has been deployed to the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Provide Comfort. She graduated from the Navy’s Test Pilot School in 1993 and later returned to the school as an instructor. She has logged more than 2,770 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft. She was stationed aboard the USS Saipan when NASA selected her for the astronaut program in 1998. CDR Williams reported to the International Space Station and joined Expedition 14 in progress in December 2006. She is currently serving as the flight engineer and will complete her six-month tour this summer.
(May 2007)
