Astronaut Tim Peake shared an inspiring photograph of the capital from space as runners prepared to pound the pavements in the London Marathon.
The British spaceman tweeted: “Hello #London! Fancy a run? :)” before counting down the start of the 26.2-mile race – which he is also taking part in.
Snapped from the International Space Station where Major Peake is based, the photograph shows the entire marathon route from Greenwich in south-east London to the finish line on the Mall.
The astronaut is running the race from space while strapped to a treadmill to combat the effects of zero gravity - and will be watching the streets of London pass under his feet in real time on an iPad.
He finished the London Marathon in a time of three hours, 18 minutes and 50 seconds in 1999.
Though he does not expect to match that time in today’s Digital Virgin Money event.
He is aiming to cross the virtual finish line after around four to four-and-a-half hours of running just as thousands of club runners and charity fund-raisers make their way towards The Mall in the heart of central London.
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