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Retired NASA astronaut Suni Williams preparing to ‘dig deep’ in 130th Boston Marathon
She’ll be honored with the B.A.A.’s Patriots’ Award
Oh, I don’t know. Somewhere around 10 or so, like different ones in different places that I’ve been stationed in. I was in the military, so, and, uh, you know, Washington DC, the Marine Corps Marathon in Norfolk, Virginia, in Pensacola, Florida. So, I’ve done *** number of them, um, done Boston *** couple of times. I’ve done, uh, you know, the Marine Corps Marathon *** couple of times. So, I’ve done ***, I’ve done *** couple. Um, they always intimidate me. They’re always terrible at some point in time. Nobody knows it’s gonna be hard. So at some point in time, you’re just gonna have to dig deep *** little bit to just keep going. And, you know, I’m at an older age now. I’m not as competitive as I was maybe *** decade ago. So I know that, hey, you know, if I have to walk, I have to walk. I think I had something in my head *** long time ago. It’s like, don’t ever, don’t ever walk, or else you’ll, you’ll never finish. But I know, I know better now. Like, if I need to walk, I’ll, I’ll walk, but I’ll, I can go the distance.
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Retired NASA astronaut Suni Williams preparing to ‘dig deep’ in 130th Boston Marathon
She’ll be honored with the B.A.A.’s Patriots’ Award
Astronaut Suni Williams, a Massachusetts native who was stuck aboard the International Space Station for months after trouble with an experimental spacecraft, will be among the thousands racing from Hopkinton to Back Bay in the 130th Boston Marathon on Monday.She’s familiar with the iconic race, but says marathons are always challenging. “They always intimidate me. They’re always terrible at some point in time,” she said, laughing.Williams said she’s confident that she can go the distance and is experienced enough to give herself grace if she needs it along the 26.2-mile course. “It’s going to be hard. So, at some point in time, you’re just going to have to dig deep a little bit just to keep going,” she said. Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore returned to Earth in March 2025 after a planned one-week test flight into space turned into a 286-day odyssey when they experienced issues with their vehicle’s thrusters.Williams, 60, a former Navy captain and Needham native, spent more than 27 years at NASA, logging 608 days in space over three station missions. She also set a record for the most spacewalking time by a woman: 62 hours during nine excursions.Williams retired from NASA at the end of the year.Williams previously told Boston sister station WCVB that she ran her first Boston Marathon at age 17 as an unofficial participant and finished the race without shoes. She also made history in 2007 as the first person to complete the 26.2 miles while in space.Williams had previously indicated her intent to run the Boston Marathon when she served as the keynote speaker at the Merrimack College graduation ceremony in May.The Boston Marathon is set for Monday, April 20. WCVB is the exclusive broadcast partner of the race and the Boston Athletic Association.
Astronaut Suni Williams, a Massachusetts native who was stuck aboard the International Space Station for months after trouble with an experimental spacecraft, will be among the thousands racing from Hopkinton to Back Bay in the 130th Boston Marathon on Monday.
She’s familiar with the iconic race, but says marathons are always challenging.
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“They always intimidate me. They’re always terrible at some point in time,” she said, laughing.
Williams said she’s confident that she can go the distance and is experienced enough to give herself grace if she needs it along the 26.2-mile course.
“It’s going to be hard. So, at some point in time, you’re just going to have to dig deep a little bit just to keep going,” she said.
Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore returned to Earth in March 2025 after a planned one-week test flight into space turned into a 286-day odyssey when they experienced issues with their vehicle’s thrusters.
Williams, 60, a former Navy captain and Needham native, spent more than 27 years at NASA, logging 608 days in space over three station missions. She also set a record for the most spacewalking time by a woman: 62 hours during nine excursions.
Williams retired from NASA at the end of the year.
Williams previously told Boston sister station WCVB that she ran her first Boston Marathon at age 17 as an unofficial participant and finished the race without shoes.
She also made history in 2007 as the first person to complete the 26.2 miles while in space.
Williams had previously indicated her intent to run the Boston Marathon when she served as the keynote speaker at the Merrimack College graduation ceremony in May.
The Boston Marathon is set for Monday, April 20. WCVB is the exclusive broadcast partner of the race and the Boston Athletic Association.
