Shizo Kanakuri
Encyclopedia
was a Japan
ese marathon
runner and one of the early leaders of track and field athletics
in Japan. He has been celebrated as "Father of marathon" in Japan.
Although the length of the course was probably only 40km, Kanakuri was reported to have set a marathon world record of 2:32:45 in a November 1911 domestic qualification race for the 1912 Summer Olympics
.
He is best known for disappearing during the marathon race
in the 1912 Summer Olympics. He lost his consciousness during the race due to the heat and was cared for by a farming family. He returned to Japan without notifying race officials. Swedish authorities considered him missing for 50 years before discovering that he was living in Japan and had competed in intervening Olympic marathons. In 1966 he was contacted by Swedish Television
and offered to complete his run. He accepted and completed the Marathon
in 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 8 hours, 32 minutes and 20.379 seconds.
He also competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics
, where he finished the marathon race
in 2'48:45.4 hours and placed 16th.
At the 1924 Summer Olympics
he again failed to finish the marathon
.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
runner and one of the early leaders of track and field athletics
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
in Japan. He has been celebrated as "Father of marathon" in Japan.
Although the length of the course was probably only 40km, Kanakuri was reported to have set a marathon world record of 2:32:45 in a November 1911 domestic qualification race for the 1912 Summer Olympics
1912 Summer Olympics
The 1912 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 5 May and 27 July 1912. Twenty-eight nations and 2,407 competitors, including 48 women, competed in 102 events in 14 sports...
.
He is best known for disappearing during the marathon race
Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's marathon
The men's marathon was a track and field athletics event held as part of the athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fifth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. The distance used was 40.2 kilometres, nearly 2...
in the 1912 Summer Olympics. He lost his consciousness during the race due to the heat and was cared for by a farming family. He returned to Japan without notifying race officials. Swedish authorities considered him missing for 50 years before discovering that he was living in Japan and had competed in intervening Olympic marathons. In 1966 he was contacted by Swedish Television
Sveriges Television
Sveriges Television AB , Sweden's Television, is a national television broadcaster based in Sweden, funded by a compulsory fee to be paid by all television owners...
and offered to complete his run. He accepted and completed the Marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
in 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 8 hours, 32 minutes and 20.379 seconds.
He also competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics
1920 Summer Olympics
The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....
, where he finished the marathon race
Athletics at the 1920 Summer Olympics - Men's marathon
The men's marathon event was part of the track and field athletics programme at the 1920 Summer Olympics. The distance of this race was 42.75 kilometres. The competition was held on Sunday, August 22, 1920.48 runners from 17 nations competed....
in 2'48:45.4 hours and placed 16th.
At the 1924 Summer Olympics
1924 Summer Olympics
The 1924 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1924 in Paris, France...
he again failed to finish the marathon
Athletics at the 1924 Summer Olympics
At the 1924 Summer Olympics held in Paris, 27 athletics events were contested, all for men only.-Medal table:-Medal summary:-Participating nations:657 athletes from 40 nations competed. Ten nations competed in athletics for the first time...
.
See also
- Japan at the 1912 Summer OlympicsJapan at the 1912 Summer OlympicsJapan competed at the Summer Olympic Games for the first time at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden.-Athletics:Two athletes represented Japan in that nation's Olympic debut. Mishima advanced to the semifinals in one of his three events, but did not start the semifinal race...