The astronaut will run a marathon - in space

 Sunita Williams to Run in the Boston Marathon But Transform the City's Streets in the Space Station's Fitness Equipment

 
An American astronaut will participate in the Boston Marathon race without leaving the International Space Station. Sunita Williams, 41, an officer in the US Navy, will strap herself to the running machine designed for training to reduce the damage of the lack of gravity to the body.
She was approved to participate in this year's marathon after finishing last year's race in a time of three hours, 29 minutes and 57 seconds. However, in December she took off on the Discovery shuttle to the space station, and therefore decided to participate in the space race on April 16.
"It's a great honor to be appointed to the race, I didn't want my endorsement to expire without at least trying to protect it," Williams told the organizers, the Boston Athletic Association. She has already broken a record - of a stay in space for women, and she is also seeking to break the American record for a continuous stay in space before she returns home in the summer.
In the last three years, the organizers tried to go towards runners who were approved but could not make it to the race. They sent awards, bottles of water and finish line ribbons to troops stationed in Iraq and planned a similar shipment to Kosovo next year. However, William will be the first runner to try her luck while orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 338 kilometers.
"The Boston Marathon is the pinnacle of the achievements of most runners" says the spokesman for the organizers, Jack Flaminck, who said that Williams is the pioneer of the new frontier in her running. "For Sunita, the choice to run 42.2 km in space on Patriots' Day is a gift to thousands of marathon runners here on Earth," he said. According to him, the space run will test Williams' physical fitness in several unconventional ways. NASA built a "vibration isolation system" to keep the station stable during Williams' run, which will cause additional strain on the astronaut's muscles, joints and shoulders."
The harness will also put pressure on her back and shoulders or joints, said Williams' sister Dina Pandya, who also fears her legs will go numb.