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Veteran Marathon Runner Fauja Singh
Fauja Singh BEM is a British Sikh supercentenarian and former marathon runner of Punjabi Indian heritage. He has broken a number of world records in various age groups, although none of his timings have been recognised as official records.
He began jogging actively at the age of 89 and eventually competed in international marathons. Singh competed in his first marathon, the London Marathon, in 2000. Singh ran a marathon in 6 hours and 54 minutes at the age of 93. This shaved 58 minutes off the previous world record for anyone aged 90 and up.
Singh has UK records for his age category in the 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, mile, and 3000 m, all set in a single 94-minute stretch. At the age of 100, Singh tried and broke eight world age group records in one day at the special Ontario Masters Association Fauja Singh Invitational Meet, which was held at Birchmount Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Guinness World Records however declined to include Singh in their record book since he couldn’t present his birth certificate to confirm his age. In 1911, India did not keep birth records. He was able to show a passport with his birth date listed as April 1, 1911, as well as a letter from Queen Elizabeth II greeting him on his 100th birthday.
In July 2012, Singh carried the Olympic torch.
Singh announced his retirement from competitive running after competing in the Hong Kong marathon on February 24, 2013, five weeks before his 102nd birthday. He finished the 10 kilometer run in the Hong Kong marathon in 1 hour 32 minutes and 28 seconds, and he plans to keep running for fun, health, and charity.
Singh stands 1.72 meters tall and weighs 52 kg. He owes his physical condition and longevity to his avoidance of smoking and drinking, as well as his adherence to a basic vegetarian diet.
Fauja Singh continues to be an inspiration to people all around the world and a clear indication of what focus and determination can do.
