Shizo Kanakuri was not a slow runner. In fact, he reportedly set the world record by completing a 40-km marathon run in 2 hours, 32 minutes, and 45 seconds at a domestic event, that qualified him to represent Japan at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. Yet, on race day, he could barely compete and dropped out before he reached the half-way mark. Embarrassed at his failure, Shizo Kanakuri never showed up. It would be decades before he was formally allowed to finish the race.
Shizo Kanakuri competes in the men's marathon race during the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium.
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