More than 39,000 people ran the London Marathon on Sunday, including one man who wasn’t in the English capital but 400 kilometres above the Earth.
British astronaut Tim Peake ran the 42.2-kilometres harnessed to a treadmill aboard the International Space Station, with a simulation of the route through London’s streets playing on an iPad.
READ MORE: Tim Peake prepares for London marathon while aboard space station
The 44-year-old Peake finished in 3 hours and 35 minutes, 20 minutes slower than when the former British Army helicopter test pilot ran the course in 1999.
He recorded a good luck message to the runners, which was shown on the marathon route on a big screen.
A pair of 31-year-old Kenyans fought the chilly and windy spring elements to claim the men’s and women’s titles.
The first half of the men’s race was on pace for the fastest-ever marathon, but Eliud Kipchoge couldn’t keep it up to break the world record, completing the route in front of Buckingham Palace in 2 hours, 3 minutes, 5 seconds.
Kipchoge’s time was still more than a minute faster than the previous London record of 2:04:29 set two years ago by Wilson Kipsang, who finished fifth Sunday.
The men’s race was about speed but the women provided drama.
- Enter at your own risk: New home security camera aims paintballs at intruders
- High benzene levels detected near Ontario First Nation for weeks, residents report sickness
- Boston Dynamics unveils ‘creepy’ new fully electric humanoid robot
- Ontario First Nation calls for chemical plant to be shut down amid ‘dangerously high’ benzene levels
Jemima Sumgong claimed her first title after overcoming a fall at a water station with less than four miles remaining that left her holding her head in pain.
Aselefech Mergia of Ethiopia and Mary Keitany of Kenya fell with Sumgong but they couldn’t recover as strongly, finishing out of the top four.
“The Ethiopian runner clipped my leg and I went down,” Sumgong said.
Sumgong also had to contend with a spectator appearing to rush toward her before being tackled by a steward.
“After my fall I felt hurt, it was very painful because I banged my head very hard but I tried my best to persevere and win the race,” said Sumgong, who did not require stitches to treat the cut above her right eye.
That she did, winning in 2 hours, 22 minutes, 58 seconds, with defending champion Tigist Tufa of Ethiopia five seconds behind, and Florence Kiplagat third.
It was a first major marathon title for Sumgong, who had previously been a runner-up in Boston, Chicago and New York.
Comments