May 13 Birthdays

1940
Kokichi Tsuburaya, Japan, long-distance runner. Tsuburaya ran his first marathon (2:23:31) in 1964 and his second (2:18:20.2) a month later. He finished sixth in the 1960 (Tokyo) Olympic 10,000-meter race, and a week later won the bronze medal in the Olympic marathon, his third race at that distance. Tsuburaya's later career was plagued by injuries. Despondent, he took his own life on 9 January 1968, leaving behind a note reading, "Cannot run any more."