The 44-year-old British astronaut Tim Peake has set a record confirmed by Guinness World Records for completing the fastest marathon in orbit on board to International Space Station in only three hours, 35 minutes and 21 seconds. He is not the first person trying to have this set.

During the Boston Marathon in 2007, the astronaut Sunita Williams ran on the Space Station completing the race in just under 4 hours and 24 minutes.

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British astronaut Tim Peake is seen on a video screen transmitted from the International Space Station (ISS) at the astronaut center of the European Space Agency ESA in Cologne, Germany, Sunday, April 24, 2016. Credit: Henning Kaiser / via AP / NBC News

The winner of the men’s race was the Kenyan long-distance runner Eliud Kipchoge with a record time of 2 hours, 3 minutes and 5 seconds for the second consecutive year. The women’s event was won for Kenyan Jemima Sumgong completing her record of 2 hours, 22 minutes and 58 seconds after having fallen at the 21-mile.

How did Tim that?

Tim was strapped into a harness that was attached to a treadmill. Further, with the help of a virtual video simulating the race he ran the marathon, the Digital Virgin Money London Marathon 400km above Earth. A live video link was used to do this, at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne.

Running in the land is not the same to run in the space because of the lack of gravity. Therefore, the loss of gravity was counteracted by using bungee cords on his shoulders in order to allow him to feel his own weight. Also, a lot of fans were placed around Tim keeping him fresh and helping to evaporate some of his sweat without dripping.

Head of Guinness Records, Marco Frigatti said “Tim has captured the hearts and minds of the nation since his mission on board the International Space Station began last year. His latest achievement is surely his greatest – running the fastest marathon in space, on the only day off from his grueling schedule, is a fantastic accomplishment. Tim is a true inspiration and someone we can all look up to. Literally.”

Source: CBS