Renowned astronaut Suni Williams takes on Beach to Beacon
CAPE ELIZABETH — It was supposed to be a routine mission. Instead, what would be her final trip to outer space turned into something far different for Suni Williams.
A decorated astronaut of more than a quarter-century, Williams saw an eight-day mission to the International Space Station in June 2024 turn into a nine-month stay as a result of technical issues. A nightmare? For some, perhaps, but Williams saw a chance to explore the galaxy as a blessing.
“I felt like my whole life had led me to that point of understanding and being able to be accepting of change and of adaptability,” Williams said Friday. “You just have to look at the thing you’re doing from a different perspective, and new opportunities opened.”
Now retired, Williams is happy to be back on Earth. She’s also now a Mainer, and on Saturday she’ll be among the thousands of runners participating in the Beach to Beacon 10K, from Cape Elizabeth’s Crescent Beach to Portland Head Light.
Retired astronaut Suni Williams, left, poses for a photo with Beach to Beacon 10K race director Dave McGillivray during a press conference at Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth on Friday. Williams was given bib number 608 for Saturday’s race, representing how many days she has spent in space. (Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer)
Williams, 60, is one of the most accomplished astronauts in space-flight history. Her 608 days aboard the ISS are second-most among NASA astronauts, behind Peggy Whitson’s 695. Her 62 hours, 6 minutes of spacewalk time across nine total walks are the most by a woman.
Williams is also an avid runner who has participated in the Boston Marathon in 1983, 2008, 2009 and 2026. She became the first person to run the space equivalent of a marathon aboard the ISS in 2007, a process in which she was harnessed to a treadmill to maintain proper bone density.
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“You’re strapped down, and it’s kind of horrible,” Williams said. “It’s not as much fun as running on Earth; you don’t get wind, and you don’t get the view that (Beach to Beacon) runners are going to have tomorrow. … It’s just going to be incredible.”
While Williams was in space for the 14th and 15th ISS expeditions during the 2007 Boston Marathon, her sister, Dina Pandya, ran the race back on Earth. ISS Mission Control updated Williams on her sister’s progress throughout the race.
Pandya helps organize the Falmouth Road Race in Massachusetts. The two had discussed running Beach to Beacon. Finally, with the 28th running of the race falling on Pandya’s birthday in 2026, they decided this would be the year.
“We’ve met (race founder) Joanie (Benoit Samuelson) over the years, and she’s told us about this race, and we keep thinking, ‘We want to do it,’” Williams said. “I said, ‘I’m back home, it’s your birthday, and we’re going to go to Maine and do it. We’re excited; the course is beautiful.”
Williams gave a speech to a crowd of runners, media and race volunteers at race media day Friday at Fort Williams Park. Following a press conference, she was presented with a special bib number of 608, commemorating her total days spent aboard the ISS.
Roughly half of those days, of course, were unplanned. While an extended stay in space certainly presented some frustrations for Williams, she remembered one of her father’s sayings: “Stop and take a look at the foliage.”
“When I was younger, I probably would’ve been a little grumpier about the whole thing, but as I’m older, I recognize that all of us are in an amazing place,” Williams said. “I had the opportunity to do some amazing science while I was up there and to do a couple more spacewalks.”
Now, Earth is once again home for Williams, as is the town of Phillips in the scenic western Maine mountains. The shores of Cape Elizabeth provide for a much different setting — but one of the many she appreciates.
“‘Why Maine?’ It’s beautiful here,” Williams said. “(It’s beautiful) outdoors every single day — doesn’t matter if it’s cold, doesn’t matter if it’s hot. … This is the best place to live, and I love it.”
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Mike Mandell came to the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel in April 2022 after spending five and a half years with The Ellsworth American in Hancock County, Maine. He came to Maine out of college after. More by Mike Mandell
