Have you ever heard of the marathon that took 54 years to complete? 👀

 

The Story of Shizo Kanakuri: The Marathon that Took 54 Years

Have you ever heard of the marathon that took 54 years to complete? 👀

This remarkable tale belongs to Shizo Kanakuri, a Japanese marathon runner who holds the Guinness World Record for the longest time taken to finish a marathon—54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes, and 20.3 seconds. 😶‍🌫️

How did this happen?

In 1912, Shizo Kanakuri qualified as Japan’s first-ever marathon runner for the Olympics, held in Stockholm, Sweden. Expectations in Japan were high. 👀

However, during the marathon, after running about 17 miles, Shizo became exhausted and veered off the course, eventually finding himself in a nearby garden. 👀

Unnoticed by anyone, he wandered into a garden and stumbled upon a party. He was invited to join and spent an hour enjoying himself before leaving.

Embarrassed and disappointed by his failure in the race, Shizo quietly left Sweden without informing the Olympic officials. He returned to southern Japan, where he began working as a geography teacher. 😶‍🌫️

Despite this, Shizo continued to participate in marathon races and even competed in other Olympic Games, achieving victories along the way. 👀

Meanwhile, in Sweden, his name remained on the list of missing persons, which became a strange and humorous mystery as the years passed. 😅

In 1967, a Swedish journalist discovered Shizo's story and brought it to the world’s attention. Until then, no one knew what had happened to the "missing" marathon runner from the 1912 Olympics. 👀

Following the revelation, Swedish media and officials arranged for Shizo Kanakuri to finish the marathon he had started 54 years earlier. 😶‍🌫️

On March 20, 1967, Shizo Kanakuri, who had started the marathon at age 21, completed the race at the age of 72, becoming a part of Olympic history. 👀😅

His story is a blend of determination, humor, and a unique place in the history of sports.