Shizo Kanakuri was born in Japan in 1891. His family lived
on the island of Kyushu. Every day, Shizo would run nearly four miles to school
and back. When he was twenty, Shizo set a marathon world record during the
domestic trials for the 1912 Olympics. He was one of two Japanese athletes invited
to compete in Stockholm. The journey to Sweden took an exhausting eighteen days.
The Olympics were held during a record heat wave, and the sun never set during
the entire event. Shizo had trouble digesting the local food. Several competitors
dropped out with hyperthermia. Dazed and sick, Shizo left the race after
sixteen miles. Embarrassed, he quietly returned home without notifying
officials. In 1967, he was invited back to complete the race, finishing with a
time of fifty-four years, eight months, six days, five hours, thirty-two
minutes and 20.3 seconds. Shizo Kanakuri holds the Guiness World Record for the
longest time to complete a marathon.
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