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.
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Shizo Kanakuri competes in the men's marathon race during the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium.
Source: amusingplanet.com