This astronaut will run London marathon in space

Melbourne: A British astronaut will attempt to run a digital version of the London Marathon in space.

Tim Peake on Friday said he will be taking part in the London marathon - harnessed to a running machine 400km above Earth on the International Space Station, News.com.au reported.

Peake, a former helicopter pilot who will be running for the Prince's Trust charity, added that as soon as he got assigned to his mission to the International Space Station, he thought it would be great to run.

"The London Marathon is a worldwide event. Let's take it out of this world," the 43-year-old said.

Peake is due to take off on December 15 from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on board a Soyuz rocket for a six-month mission to the ISS.

"Major Tim" - his actual rank - will be only the second Briton in space after Helen Sharman in 1991. He said he would run on April 24 - the day of the marathon, which has around 37 000 participants. With a screen with a virtual reality avatar placed in front of him, he will feel like he is there.