Asahi: Guinness honors oldest marathoners
An octogenarian and his 78-year-old wife here Wednesday received a certificate from the Guinness Book of Records recognizing them as the world's "oldest couple to run a marathon." Shigetsugu Anan, 83, and his wife Miyoko ran the Ibusuki Nanohana Marathon in Kagoshima Prefecture on Jan. 13 at a combined age of 161 years, 82 days. They crossed the finish line together after running the 42.195 kilometers in 7 hours, 36 minutes. Married for 56 years, the couple applied to Guinness in February. "I couldn't have made this record alone," Shigetsugu, a veteran runner, said. Miyoko, who was running her first marathon, said, "I was able to finish the race because I was with oto-san (Papa). It's like a dream."
With the ageing population, Japan ought to be holding quite a few of these "world's oldest" records over the coming years.
