And why did the cops take 1,772 calls before deciding that someone was pulling their chain? We don't know. And we don't know why, or even if, the following people did these strange things, but heaven forbid we'd let the truth stand in the way of a good story.
In 1981, the Daily Mail newspaper in Britain regaled readers with the inspiring yet painful tale of Japanese long-distance runner Kimo Nakajimi, who traveled to the U.K. to take part in the London Marathon.
A translation error in Nakajimi's application documents left him under the impression that he had to run for 26 days, not 26 miles. A fortnight after the race took place, Nakajimi was still out pounding the streets of England, determined to finish the race and ignoring the heartfelt appeals of locals to stop.