Astronaut Tim Peake breaks space marathon record on ISS

Image source, Esa

Image caption, Mr Peake finished in about three hours, 35 minutes

UK astronaut Tim Peake has broken the world record for fastest marathon run in space.

Tim ran the distance of the London Marathon, 42km, on a treadmill on the International Space Station (ISS) in three hours and 35 minutes.

To counteract the effects of weightlessness, he used a harness to keep him on the running belt.

Before the event he said: "I'm quite glad that this is happening later on in the mission so I've had plenty of time to get used to the treadmill."

Elastic straps over the shoulders and round the waist keep Major Peake in contact with the running belt of the treadmill.

Video caption, "It's like running with a clumsy rucksack on" - Tim Peake explains how this harness will enable him to run the London Marathon while in space

The straps are designed to give astronauts' bones and muscles a workout in weightlessness.

He said: "One of the biggest challenges is the harness system. Obviously, my bodyweight has to be firmly attached to the treadmill by this harness, and that can rub on the shoulders and around the waist."

It's not the first time he's run a marathon - in 1999 he finished the London Marathon in three hours, 18 minutes and 50 seconds.

He did not try to beat that time as his medical team wanted to ensure he was perfectly healthy for his return to Earth in June.

The ISS circles the Earth at 28,800km/h, so Major Peake covered more than 86,000km during his run.

Major Peake started at the same time as the other runners: 10:00 BST on 24 April.