In 1912 Japan sent two athletes to the Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. One of those was a 21 year old marathon runner named Shizo Kankuri. He became a runner by running to school every day, a distance of almost four miles. To prepare for the Olympics he trained under the founder of Judo, he raised 1,800 yen for travel expenses, and then he set off on an 18 day journey by ship and train to Stockholm.

The trip was long and difficult, leaving him weak when he arrived. He then found that he could not sleep because of the long days and the bright nights. As well, the local food gave him problems, and the team coach was bedridden with tuberculosis.

The marathon itself was held in the middle of a heat wave, which caused many competitors to drop out, including one who collapsed and died, becoming the very first Olympic fatality.

As for poor Shizo, he left the course after 16 miles and crashed a garden party to find hydration of some sort. One version of the story says he downed orange juice, fell asleep on a couch, and woke up the next morning. He was so embarrassed that he found his way back to Japan without ever telling anyone.

But wait - there's more!
In 1967 a Swedish reporter tracked Shizo down in southern Japan and convinced him to come back and finish his race. On March 20, 1967, at 75 years old, he finished his marathon, saying at the time "It was a long trip. Along the way, I got married, had six children and 10 grandchildren."

His official time for the marathon - 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes, and 20.3 seconds.

Well done Shizo!

Michael Gauthier
Rally Academy
Pickleball Strokes

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