Between 5 May and 22 July 1912, Sweden hosted the Summer Olympics in Stockholm. It was a grand affair, unlike any other, where twenty-eight nations and 2408 athletes competed in 14 sports.
Incidentally, that was the first time Japan, an Asian nation, took part in the multi-sport event. As it was Japan’s debut in Olympics, the country decided to send its star performer, a marathon runner named Shizo Kanakuri.
Shizo had broken all records in the qualifying races for the 1912 Olympics. But something happened during the race that changed Shizo’s life forever. A marathon race stretches over 42.925 kilometres or 26.2 miles. On average, people complete a marathon in four to five hours. But Shizo took 54 years.
Born on August 20,1893, in Nagomi, Shizo was one of two athletes selected from Japan to represent the country in Stockholm. Shizo had set a world record for marathon running in 1911, finishing in two hours, thirty-two minutes and forty-five seconds.
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