Sailors run marathon on HMS Queen Elizabeth’s flight deck

Two Royal Navy sailors have completed the first-ever marathon on board HMS Queen Elizabeth. Air Engineering Technicians Giorgio Zsirai and Calum Dee ran 88 laps around the aircraft carrier’s four-acre flight deck as she was anchored in the Solent, according to Forces.Net.

The pair both finished the 26-mile run within five hours.

Zsirai had planned to run the Manchester Marathon in April in support of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity. But due to the coronavirus pandemic, the marathon was postponed and he asked if he could use the warship’s flight deck instead.

“I thought it would be a bit harsh running around the deck by himself so I tagged along,” says Dee, who decided to join Zsirai on the challenge.

Both sailors said to have hit ‘the wall’ at the 15-miles mark but managed to push on over the finish line.

“The wind was really rough, I definitely should have trained more,” says Zsirai, who finished in four hours and 45 minutes said.

Dee completed the marathon in four hours and five minutes.

The pair say they are now keen to run the London Marathon in the coming year, according to Forces.Net.