Astronaut to Run Marathon at 17,500 Mph

An astronaut who was determined not to lose her place in the Boston marathon will run next month's race in space, and circle the world twice before the winner crosses the finish line.

Sunita Williams will be tethered to a treadmill aboard the international space station 210 miles above Earth when the starting gun fires on April 16. At an orbiting speed of 17,500 mph, she will travel the race distance of 26 miles and 385 yards every 5.4 seconds.

Ms Williams, 41, an American astronaut who joined the space station crew in December, qualified for the race by finishing last year's Houston marathon in 3hr 29min 57sec.

"I considered it a huge honour to qualify and I didn't want my qualification to expire without giving it a shot," she said.

Race organisers have emailed Ms Williams an official race bib to print out and wear during the race and a medal will be sent up on the space shuttle next month.

This is the first time a competitor will have taken part in space.

"It's an out-of-this-world effort," said Jack Fleming, an official of the Boston Athletic Association.

"For Suni to choose to run 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."