Shizo KANAGURI

Kanakuri had a difficult 18-day long trip to reach Stockholm for the 1912 Olympics. After travelling by ship and Trans-Siberian-Railway he had to rest for five days to be able to run the marathon. After 30 km of the Olympic marathon, he stopped at a house and asked the residents for a glass of water. The residents gave him water, and he lay down on a couch, fell asleep awakening the next morning. Ashamed of his actions, he at first refused to return to Japan. In 1967 he returned to Stockholm at the age of 76 and finished his marathon run. Therefore he has the "slowest" finishing time ever in an Olympic marathon with 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 32 minutes and 20.3 seconds, a record surely not to be broken.

Personal Best: Mar – 2-36:09 (1924).