You think it’s taking you too long to achieve your goals?
Well, let me tell you the unlikely story of marathon runner Shizo Kanakuri.
Kanakuri represented Japan in the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm.
Unfortunately, things were against him from the start.
The journey from Japan to Sweden took 18 days, and involved taking the exhausting Trans Siberian Railroad.
Upon arriving to the land of meatballs and pickled herring, Kanakuri found he also couldn’t handle the disgusting local food.
And to make things worse, on the day of the race, it was unbearably hot. Many of the runners tried to protect themselves by wrapping towels around their heads, to little effect.
Final outcome?
Kanakuri passed out halfway through the marathon.
And he was so ashamed of his failure to complete the race that he didn’t even notify the Olympic authorities. Instead, he left Sweden and made his way back to Japan.
Fast forward to 1967.
Kanakuri was 75 years old by then.
And the Swedish Olympic authorities, who had treated Kanakuri as a missing persons case across two world wars, finally tracked him down in Japan.
They invited him back to Sweden, so he could complete his half-done marathon.
Kanakuri accepted.
He went to Sweden, jogged across the finish line, and completed the marathon.
His time? A record 54 years, 6 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes and 20.3 seconds. Kanakuri said about his accomplishment:
“It was a long trip. Along the way, I got married, had six children and 10 grandchildren.”
So if your current goals are dragging, take comfort in knowing you probably still have a few decades on Shizo Kanakuri.
On the other hand, don’t use this tale as an invitation to dawdle and delay and drag your feet.
Like in Kanakuri’s case, it makes sense to accept helpful invitations, such as the one he got from the Swedish Olympic Committee. For example, if you are in the ecommerce business, and you’re looking for help in getting customers through advertorials, then here’s an invitation you might like: