British astronaut Major Tim Peake is scheduled to run the London Marathon onboard the International Space Station (ISS) next April while orbiting Earth. The 26.2-mile London race will be followed by Peake while he is strapped to a treadmill. Major Peake is running for charity, specifically The Prince’s Trust. This trust was established by Frederick Pervin and Prince Charles in 1976. It helps young people. According to him, he will wear a harness that prevents him from floating away when the treadmill turns on. He also says that it is important for his body not to move his legs or swing his arms. Major Peake posted on Twitter his enthusiasm about the London Marathon. (Image: twitter.com/astro_timpeake) Major Peake will blast off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on December 15 together with Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and NASA astronaut Tim Kopra. Peake, an astronaut with the European Space Agency (ESA), will be in space another month. Peake will remain aboard the ISS for a total 173 day. Peake participated in London’s marathon once before. This will not be the first time Major Peake takes part in London Marathon. He completed 1999, the race in three hours and 18 five minutes. Major Peake enjoys running, climbing and caving. Let’s make it a global event. It’s the ability to interact with everyone down here that is what I look forward most. “In microgravity, I’d float if my feet weren’t attached to the treadmill. I must wear a harness system similar to a backpack to beat my personal best. He is not certain he can match his or beat it this time. His goal is to run between 3.5 and 4 hours. The astronaut will benefit from training for marathon runs, which requires several weeks of daily exercise. Tim Peake on a treadmill. Training on Earth is very different to running in space. (Image: virginmoneylondonmarathon.com) If you spend time in a microgravity environment, you start losing bone mass – this is called spaceflight osteopenia. Spaceflight causes humans to lose an average of 1% each month. Spaceflight can also lead to the loss of or atrophy in the leg muscles, and muscles that support posture. While in space, the muscles are also subject to metabolic changes. NASA has the following to say about skeletal muscle loss during spaceflight. “Calf muscle biopsies taken before and after six-months on the ISS showed that peak power and muscle volume had decreased significantly even though crew members exercised five hours per week. A second treadmill, the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device, (ARED), and more intense exercise are all effective in maintaining muscle strength and preventive muscle loss. Hugh Brasher is the London Marathon Event Director and commented on Tim Peake’s participation: “Tim Peake’s mission will undoubtedly inspire an entire generation to learn about science and space. ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti (an Italian Air Force pilot, engineer and pilot) was on her Futura mission in 2015.. Ms. Cristoforetti said: “Running in our treadmill T2. Here on the ISS we need harness to keep us from floating away!” (Image: sa.int/spaceinimages) Training in microgravity Dr Jonathan Scott, Medical Projects and Technology Team Lead in the Space Medicine Office at the European Space Agency, said that if Major Peake did no exercise at all, he could lose as much as one quarter of his aerobic capacity within the first two weeks in space. His bones and muscles would weaken as well as his heart, since they don’t have to pump blood or support him in space. Scott stated that it was the responsibility of the Space Medicine Office Team (SMO) to minimize this “space adaptation” so astronauts’ health can be restored to Earth. We will design a programme for Tim that has the right frequency, duration and intensity of exercise to stimulate his muscles and bones in a way that will offset the effects of microgravity.” “Tim will run on the treadmill to train for the Digital Virgin Money London Marathon as part of this daily fitness routine.” Dr. Alexander Gerst, a European Space Agency astronaut and geophysicist from Germany, Tweeted this image last year with the text “Just ran 16,300 km on the treadmill (35 minutes at 28,000 km/h).” (Image: esa.int/spaceinimages/Images) Running in a weightless environment is very different to running back on Earth. Normal gravity makes it physically difficult because your body must support and move. However, the ISS does not have a bodyweight. Dr. Scott explained that Tim will be wearing a harness to protect his shoulders and upper body while running on the treadmill. You can adjust the load of the harness to make treadmill running more intense. However, too heavy loads can cause discomfort after about 30minutes. Dr. Scott explained that Major Peake and his colleagues from the European Space Station will be able to do longer runs to get the harness used. Once they have a better idea of how the harness responds, they’ll use running speed to help him train for the marathon. Dr. Scott said that he has weekends off, however, the ISS can be a very work-intensive environment. Therefore, they will need to figure out how he responds to the harness. “Although Tim does not have to run 10 to 15 mile per week, we cannot have Tim running 30 mi/week. “The RunSocial App will also help him prepare for and participate in the London Marathon. It contains video of runners running route back to Earth. Major Peake would be a good fit to give feedback. Dr. Scott said, “We’ll aim to develop a marathon strategy that Tim can use.”
