1951 Boston marathon champ invited to 'friendship run'

1951 Boston marathon champ invited to 'friendship run'

UTSUNOMIYA, Japan - Shigeki Tanaka, winner of the 1951 Boston Marathon, shows a letter from the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) inviting him to run April 15 in the city, 50 years after his victory there. Commenting on the invitation, Tanaka, 70, said, ''I would like to surprise everybody by completing the marathon, although it will be 42 years since I have done any running.''

Scene of 1st Japanese winning Boston Marathon in 1951

Scene of 1st Japanese winning Boston Marathon in 1951

Shigeki Tanaka crosses the finish line to win the Boston Marathon in the United States on April 19, 1951. Tanaka, the first Japanese to win the race, said he was not immediately sure he had won as there was no finish tape.(Photo by ACME) (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Japanese winner of 1951 Boston Marathon recalls race

Japanese winner of 1951 Boston Marathon recalls race

Photo taken in Tokyo on Jan. 30, 2015, shows Shigeki Tanaka recalling how he heaved a big sigh of relief when he became the first Japanese winner of the Boston Marathon in the United States in 1951, which served as a great morale booster for postwar Japan. Tanaka, 83, was nicknamed an "atomic boy" by a local newspaper as he hailed from Hiroshima, western Japan. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

1951 Boston marathon champ invited to 'friendship run'

1951 Boston marathon champ invited to 'friendship run'

UTSUNOMIYA, Japan - Shigeki Tanaka, winner of the 1951 Boston Marathon, shows a letter from the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) inviting him to run April 15 in the city, 50 years after his victory there. Commenting on the invitation, Tanaka, 70, said, ''I would like to surprise everybody by completing the marathon, although it will be 42 years since I have done any running.''