Military Runners Conquer Boston Marathon Far From Home

By David Mays
Special to American Forces Press Service
While thousands of runners braved the remnants of a late spring storm to run the Boston Marathon, servicemembers deployed overseas, and one in space, joined in to participate in the prestigious race.

Runners in Boston were pummeled with rain, wind and much colder-than-average temperatures, resulting in much slower winning times for elite athletes.
The Spring Freeze Is Bush's Fault

Navy Cmdr. Sunita "Sunni" Williams ran her own "satellite" Boston Marathon aboard an actual satellite. Williams had qualified to run at Boston with a 3:29:57 finish at January's Houston Marathon. She planned to run it with her sister, Dina Pandya, and colleague, Karen Nyberg. But Williams is a NASA astronaut, and she realized she would be working inside the International Space Station on race day. So she decided to attempt something no other astronaut had done before: complete the 26.2 mile run while orbiting the earth.

Williams was strapped to a specially designed treadmill with bungee cords, an uncomfortable process that puts strain on a runner's hips and shoulders. NASA said Williams' treadmill speed registered as fast as eight miles per hour during her "satellite" Boston race, but in actuality, she was traveling more than five miles per second as the space station completed two laps around Earth during the marathon.

Williams, who is a native of Needham, Mass., wore Boston Red Sox socks for her race in space. She finished the arduous journey in 4:23:10, well off her times on terra firma.

Williams told her NASA colleagues the motivation for running this historic marathon was simple.
"I would like to encourage kids to start making physical fitness part of their daily lives," she said. "I thought a big goal like a marathon would help get this message out there."

Boston Marathon organizers told NASA they have a different take on this historic achievement. "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," said Jack Fleming, a Boston Athletic Association spokesman. "She is pioneering new frontiers in the running world."