The World’s Slowest Olympic Marathon Took More Than 54 Years
2026-09-11
At the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, Japanese runner 金栗四三 (Shizō Kanakuri) entered the men’s marathon as one of Japan’s first Olympic athletes.
The World’s Slowest Olympic Marathon Took More Than 54 Years
At the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, Japanese runner 金栗四三 (Shizō Kanakuri) entered the men’s marathon as one of Japan’s first Olympic athletes.
The race was held in extreme heat. Exhausted and dehydrated, Kanakuri stopped running and was cared for by a local Swedish family. Embarrassed by what had happened, he returned to Japan without officially notifying the race organizers. Swedish authorities consequently listed him as missing.
More than half a century later, Swedish television discovered that Kanakuri was alive and invited him back to Stockholm. In 1967, at the age of 75, he returned to the course and finally crossed the finish line.
His recorded time was 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes, and 20.3 seconds—the longest time ever taken to complete a marathon.
Kanakuri reportedly joked that it had been a very long race. Along the way, he had married, raised six children, and welcomed ten grandchildren.
It may be the slowest marathon in history, but it is also a wonderful reminder: finishing late is still better than never finishing.
Disclaimer: I use AI as a tool to help create images and proofread my writing. However, the ideas, opinions, experiences, and messages in my posts are my own. AI does not generate my posts for me. It simply helps me present my own words and ideas more clearly.
Kenichi Uchikura
Founder & CEO
Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. (PSPINC)
Uchikura & Co., LLC.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
I was born and raised in Japan and have spent most of my adult life in the United States. Through this blog, I share Japanese culture, language, expressions, and wisdom. My goal is not to say one culture is better, but to explore different perspectives and what we can learn from them.
Your comments are always welcome.
..-･**･-....-･･-..__..-･･-....-･**･-..
Kenichi Uchikura
Founder & CEO
Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. (PSPINC)
Uchikura & Co., LLC.
..-･**･-....-･･-..__..-･･-....-･**･-..
ABOUT THIS BLOG
I was born and raised in Japan and have spent most of my adult life in the United States. Through this blog, I share Japanese culture, language, expressions, and wisdom. My goal is not to say one culture is better, but to explore different perspectives and what we can learn from them.
Your comments are always welcome.
..-･**･-....-･･-..__..-･･-....-･**･-..