Briefly: Guinness honors oldest marathoners

ASO, Kumamoto Prefecture--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."(IHT/Asahi: May 9,2008)