Shizo Kanakuri took 54 years to finish a marathon

14 July 1912 — Shizo Kanakuri started a marathon in Stockholm that he would finish 54 years, 8 months and 6 days later. The heat of the Olympic race forced him to drop out after 25 kilometres.

That afternoon — Instead of informing the officials, he ended up at a family party and drank a glass of orange juice. He then returned to Japan. The Swedish organizers left his race without a recorded finish.

1920 — Kanakuri returned to the Games, this time in Antwerp, and finished sixteenth. Over the years, he would become known as the father of Japanese marathon running.

20 March 1967 — A Swedish journalist had tracked him down while he was working as a teacher. At 75, Kanakuri returned to Stockholm to finish the course and crossed the line. His recorded time was 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes and 20.3 seconds.

On the record, the 25 kilometres from 1912 and the finish in 1967 count as a single race. The break took almost all the time on the clock.