She previously became the first person to run a full marathon while in space in 2007

NEED TO KNOW

• Retired astronaut Sunita Williams is running the Boston Marathon for the first time in over a decade
• Williams previously ran the Boston Marathon in space in 2007 and completed it on Earth in 2008
• After retiring from NASA, she plans to stay involved in space exploration and STEM education opportunities

Retired astronaut Sunita Williams worked for NASA for 27 years and has been on multiple spacewalks.

Now, she's gearing up to run the Boston Marathon for the first time in a decade.

“I'm gonna be trying to run the marathon, we'll see if I finish,” she told the Boston Globe.

Williams and her crewmate, Butch Wilmore, were among the first to fly on Boeing's Starliner. They traveled to the International Space Station in June 2024.

However, after the Starliner experienced problems, she and Wilmore were stuck there longer than expected.

They ultimately returned in March 2025. “Uncertainty is always uncomfortable,” she said. “Everybody wants the answer … and that just took a long time.”

She has spent the past year recovering from the journey.

While in space, Williams frequently worked out on the treadmill — and ran the length of the Boston Marathon on it once back in 2007. She became the first person to run a marathon while in space, and she finished in four hours and 24 minutes.

The following year, she participated in the Boston Marathon in person, completing the 26.2-mile race with a time of four hours and 20 minutes.

“We're strong because we have exercise equipment when we're up there,” she told the Boston Globe. “But the things we lose are like your agility, your ability to do things fast, all those little muscles aren't getting exercise when you're up there."

"If you're diligent when you're up in space, and you put in the work and use the nutrition the right way, you're gonna come back and be okay," Williams added.

Williams also spoke about the recent Artemis II mission, which saw astronauts make a lunar flyby, their first one in 50 years, according to NASA's website. They launched on April 1 and returned on April 10.

NASA's last moon expedition was with 1972's Apollo 17.

“We needed to get this one right,” she said. “I'm excited for this next generation of explorers.”

“When we put our heads together … we can make the impossible possible,” she added.

While she is now in retirement, she still plans on participating in space exploration and STEM education in other ways, according to the outlet.

“There's opportunities out there, maybe to work with some of these commercial companies,” she said. “If those opportunities come up, I'd love to be a part of that.”

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Williams, who now lives in Maine, will be joining the runners in the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 20.

She said, “I'm a little slow, but I feel good and am happy to get out there to try it."

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