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The Guardian
19-07-2025
- The Guardian
‘When you get old, you become young again': remembering Fauja Singh, the marathon man
The first 20 miles of a marathon are not difficult, Fauja Singh once said. When it came to the last six miles, however, 'I run while talking to God.' The fact that he was attempting the distance at all might seem, to some, proof of divine assistance. Singh was 89 when he first took up distance running, having stumbled across a TV snippet of people running a marathon, and decided to give it a go. By his mid-90s he was a marathon veteran, a record holder for his age group and even a poster model for Adidas; aged 101 – or at least so he believed, since he never had a birth certificate – he became the oldest person ever to run the distance. This week, at the age of 114, Singh's race finally came to an end. He was hit by a car while crossing the road in his birth village of Beas Pind, near Jalandhar in Punjab, and suffered fatal injuries. A man has been arrested, according to Indian police. At Singh's former home in Ilford, east London, where he discovered running and trained for his athletic feats, his friends have been remembering a man who, in the words of his former trainer Harmander Singh (no relation), was 'an icon of humanity and a powerhouse of positivity'. 'We wouldn't say we were ready for [his death], but these circumstances certainly didn't help,' he said on Thursday, from the park where they used to train together. 'It did catch us by surprise.' Fauja Singh had spent the first eight decades of his life as a farmer in his small Punjabi village, where he was born in 1911, had married and raised six children, but never learned to read or write. After his wife died in the early 90s and their sole remaining son in the village was killed in an accident, he moved to Ilford to be close to other family members. It was here that Singh, griefstricken and speaking no English, was flicking through a TV set when he stumbled across footage of the 1999 New York marathon. 'He wanted to know what this race was because he couldn't relate to why people were running for so long,' says Harmander, 65. 'He didn't know what a marathon was. He was told it was 26 miles. He'd done a 20km walk a few months earlier, and he couldn't tell the difference between a mile and a kilometre. He said, 'Well, I can do another six.'' Through mutual friends he was introduced to Harmander, a keen amateur distance runner who had informally trained a few others, and had a keen eye for publicity. Though applications for the coming London marathon had closed, he helped to secure Singh a charity place. 'Then I had to explain to him what a charity was and what kind of different charities there were.' It was to be the first of many marathons, and other feats besides. The 52kg (8st 2lb) runner in his trademark yellow turban and long white beard may have seemed fragile, but a lifetime of hard physical work had made him strong. At 100, he set five age-related world records in a day, at distances from 100 metres to 5,000 metres. But though Singh was widely acclaimed as the first centenarian and oldest ever marathon runner, his lack of paperwork meant that his feat was never acknowledged by the Guinness World Records (the lack of paperwork did not, incidentally, stop him acquiring a British passport at around the same time). It's a subject on which his coach is still sore on his behalf, but Singh was untroubled, he says. 'He didn't care. He said, 'Who's Guinness?'' Any money he earned was given to charity, says his coach. Nonetheless, Singh undoubtedly enjoyed his celebrity: a children's book, Fauja Singh Keeps Going, and a Bollywood movie, Fauja, were inspired by his story. 'I think the attention kept him alive,' says Harmander. 'Another one of his sayings was, 'When you get old, you become young again, because you want attention.' 'He was fascinated, dazzled, because everything was glittering to him.' Needless to say, Harmander believes Singh's example shows you are never too old to run. 'I never ask people for their age,' he says – assuming they have been cleared by their doctor to run, he'll ask them to focus on their motivations. 'Because I'll remind them, when they're slacking later, why they wanted to do it in the first place.' The east London running club he founded, called Sikhs in the City, is now fundraising for a new clubhouse in memory of its most celebrated former member. Despite its name, says Harmander, it is open to all. In Singh's case, after a hard physical life and so much loss, running represented a distraction from his immense grief, his coach says. 'When I asked him about his motivations, he said, 'I just wanted to do something useful rather than dwell on the past.''
Boston Globe
15-07-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
Fauja Singh, master runner at an advanced age, is dead
Three days after the track meet, Mr. Singh performed yet another rousing feat. He became the first reputed centenarian to complete a race of 26.2 miles by finishing the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 8 hours 25 minutes 16 seconds. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up There were two complications. Mr. Singh received assistance in crossing the finish line, statisticians said. More troubling, he had a passport but could not produce a birth certificate for race officials or Guinness World Records to verify the authenticity of his achievements. Advertisement Mr. Singh died on Monday, his startling accomplishments of 2011 both celebrated and unconfirmed. He was hit by a car while on his daily walk in his home village of Beas Pind in the Punjab region of India and died in a hospital, his former coach, Harmander Singh (no relation), said in a phone interview from London. He had returned to India to live during the pandemic. Advertisement Fauja Singh gave his birth date as April 1, 1911, and said he was born in Beas Pind. The country was ruled by Britain at the time, and birth certificates were not regularly issued in villages. His parents were farmers. Mr. Singh's case became emblematic of the difficulties race officials faced in determining the ages of elderly runners, especially when the athletes were born in places where birth certificates were unavailable or lost during tumultuous times. 'People in the Third World are at a disadvantage for being taken seriously,' Harmander Singh told The New York Times in 2016. Still, Fauja Singh had his supporters among fans and officials. Smith, the Ontario Masters official, said, 'As far as I'm concerned, he was legit.' But, he added: 'They just can't start allowing world records when there is no birth certificate. It opens a whole can of worms.' Dr. Thomas Perls, director of the New England Centenarian Study at Boston University, said in an interview in 2016 that it was possible that a centenarian could run 26.2 miles. Stressing that he had not examined Mr. Singh, Perls said: 'I'm not saying he's that age. All I'm saying is it's conceivable to see a 100-year-old running a marathon.' For his part, Mr. Singh told the Times in 2016 that he did not begrudge officials for not ratifying his achievements. 'I've done everything openly, nothing in secret,' he said by telephone from London, with his coach serving as an interpreter. 'If it makes some people happy to question it, it has made a lot of other people happier who believe it.' Advertisement He did not walk until he was 5 and was given the nickname Stick because of his weak and spindly legs, according to an ESPN profile of him in 2013. Rather than attend school, he worked on a farm, feeding cattle and growing corn and wheat. He eventually married and had six children. Singh's wife, Gian Kaur, died in 1992, according to Harmander Singh. His youngest daughter died in childbirth, and a son was killed in 1994 when struck in the head by a sheet of windblown corrugated metal during a storm. Other children emigrated from India. As Mr. Singh was reeling from these tragedies and losses, he said, he began his masters running career. 'Running gave him a new focus in life, made it worth living,' Harmander Singh said, adding that Fauja Singh moved to London after his wife's death to live with a son. Fauja Singh's first marathon was the 2000 London Marathon, which he finished in 6 hours 54 minutes. He ran other marathons in London, New York, and Toronto and was featured in an advertising campaign by Adidas. A Sikh, he was called the Turbaned Tornado and was described as the world's oldest marathon runner by journalists. 'The first 20 miles are not difficult,' he told reporters. 'As for the last six miles, I run while talking to God.' By 2016, his marathon days were over, but Mr. Singh continued to walk up to 10 miles a day in Ilford, in East London, his coach said. He ascribed his longevity to a vegetarian diet and abstinence from tobacco and alcohol. 'Once I started to overcome the tragedies in my life, I started getting recognition,' Singh told the Times. 'That and support motivated me to carry on. It made me more disciplined to stick to a routine. I could forget my problems and remain happy and avoid negativity.' Advertisement In 2020, Simran Jeet Singh, a Sikh writer and activist, published a children's book, 'Fauja Singh Keeps Going.' A tale of perseverance based on Mr. Singh's life, it was reportedly the first children's picture book by a major publisher to center on a Sikh story. 'I'm now 108 years old, which means I'm probably more than 100 years older than you,' Mr. Singh wrote in the book's foreword in a message to young readers. 'Can you believe that?' While his records were not ratified, his efforts reflected perseverance and resilience among the aging, Harmander Singh, said. He noted that Queen Elizabeth II had sent Fauja Singh a telegram on his supposed 100th birthday in 2011 and another when he was said to have turned 105. While he could not verify Fauja Singh's age, Harmander Singh said that, presuming the British government did its due diligence in giving him a pension, 'I imagine it's good enough for me.' This article originally appeared in
Fox News
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Fauja Singh, world's ‘oldest' marathon runner, dead at 114 after hit-and-run
Fauja Singh, who is believed to have been the world's oldest marathon runner, tragically died on Monday from injuries he sustained after being struck by a car while crossing a road in India. He was 114. Singh, who was believed to have been born in 1911, was taken to a hospital after reports say he suffered severe head injuries after being hit by a car in his native village near Jalandhar in Punjab. His running coach, Harmander Singh, confirmed his death on social media. "Dearest runners, it is with great sadness that we can confirm our icon of humanity and powerhouse of positivity, Fauja Singh, has passed away in India, aged 114 years old," his statement began. "He succumbed to injuries caused by a vehicle accident while crossing the road close to his home." Harvinder Singh, a top district police officer in the area, told the BBC that law enforcement is still searching for the driver of the vehicle. Singh began running at the age of 89 after tragedy struck his family. He had lost his wife and son, but it was the tragic death of his son that Singh said had brought on his depression. His son, Kuldip, was decapitated in a farming accident in 1994. Singh had witnessed the horrible accident. He later moved to London to live with his youngest son and soon discovered his love for running. "From a tragedy has come a lot of success and happiness," Singh said after he ran the London marathon in 2000. He competed in several marathons after, and his best finish was at the Toronto marathon in 2003, where he completed the race in 5 hours and 40 minutes. In 2011, at the age of 100, Singh became the oldest man to complete a marathon. The record, however, was not officially recognized by Guinness World Records because he did not have a birth certificate to prove his age. Government officials in India had stated that birth records were not kept at the time Singh was born. He did have a British passport that listed his date of birth as April 1, 1911. Tributes for Singh poured in on social media following the news of his death. Among them was a statement from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Fauja Singh Ji was extraordinary because of his unique persona and the manner in which he inspired the youth of India on a very important topic of fitness," Modi said in a post on X. "He was an exceptional athlete with incredible determination. Pained by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family and countless admirers around the world." Singh's running club in London, Sikhs In The City, said it plans to honor his legacy at its upcoming events. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
The Guardian
15-07-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Fauja Singh, ‘world's oldest marathon runner', dies in road accident aged 114
The runner Fauja Singh, believed to be the oldest person to complete a marathon, has died in a road accident in India aged 114. The athlete, who lived in Ilford in east London, was hit by a car and suffered fatal injuries while trying to cross a road in his birth village of Beas Pind, near Jalandhar in Punjab, on Monday, according to reports in India. His London-based running club and charity, Sikhs in the City, confirmed his death and said its upcoming events in Ilford would be a celebration of his life and achievements. Singh's coach, Harmander Singh, wrote on Facebook: 'It is with great sadness that we can confirm our icon of humanity and powerhouse of positivity Fauja Singh has passed away in India. Aged 114 years old. 'He succumbed to injuries caused by a vehicle accident while crossing the road close to his home.' Singh made his name by beating a number of records for marathon times in different age brackets. The centenarian became an inspiration for countless athletes by running marathons past the age of 100. A profile on the Olympics website said Singh was born in Punjab, then under British rule, on 1 April 1911 and was the youngest of four children in a farming family. He moved to England and settled in east London with his son after the death of his wife, Gian Kaur, in Jalandhar. It was not until 2000, aged 89, that he took up running, quickly rising to fame by completing his maiden marathon in London in six hours and 54 minutes. This time knocked 58 minutes off the previous world's best in the 90-plus age bracket. Singh ran numerous marathons, completing the 2003 Toronto Waterfront Marathon in five hours and 40 minutes, his personal best. On 16 October 2011 in Toronto, he is thought to have become the first centenarian to run a marathon. The MP Preet Kaur Gill said on X: 'Saddened to hear about the passing of Fauja Singh. I had the honour of meeting him. A truly inspiring man. His discipline, simple living, and deep humility left a lasting mark on me. 'A reminder that age is just a number, but attitude is everything. Rest in power, legend.' Her fellow Labour MP Jas Athwal, who represents Ilford South, said on X: 'Deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Sardar Fauja Singh Ji. He was legendary – a man who continued running until he was 101. He was a global Sikh icon, that inspired millions across the world. 'His spirit and legacy of resilience will run on forever. My heartfelt condolences to all his family and friends. We will miss him.'
The Guardian
15-07-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Fauja Singh, ‘world's oldest marathon runner', dies in road accident aged 114
The runner Fauja Singh, believed to be the oldest person to complete a marathon, has died in a road accident in India aged 114. The athlete, who lived in Ilford in east London, was hit by a car and suffered fatal injuries while trying to cross a road in his birth village of Beas Pind, near Jalandhar in Punjab, on Monday, according to reports in India. His London-based running club and charity, Sikhs in the City, confirmed his death and said its upcoming events in Ilford would be a celebration of his life and achievements. Singh's coach, Harmander Singh, wrote on Facebook: 'It is with great sadness that we can confirm our icon of humanity and powerhouse of positivity Fauja Singh has passed away in India. Aged 114 years old. 'He succumbed to injuries caused by a vehicle accident while crossing the road close to his home.' Singh made his name by beating a number of records for marathon times in different age brackets. The centenarian became an inspiration for countless athletes by running marathons past the age of 100. A profile on the Olympics website said Singh was born in Punjab, then under British rule, on 1 April 1911 and was the youngest of four children in a farming family. He moved to England and settled in east London with his son after the death of his wife, Gian Kaur, in Jalandhar. It was not until 2000, aged 89, that he took up running, quickly rising to fame by completing his maiden marathon in London in six hours and 54 minutes. This time knocked 58 minutes off the previous world's best in the 90-plus age bracket. Singh ran numerous marathons, completing the 2003 Toronto Waterfront Marathon in five hours and 40 minutes, his personal best. On 16 October 2011 in Toronto, he is thought to have become the first centenarian to run a marathon. The MP Preet Kaur Gill said on X: 'Saddened to hear about the passing of Fauja Singh. I had the honour of meeting him. A truly inspiring man. His discipline, simple living, and deep humility left a lasting mark on me. 'A reminder that age is just a number, but attitude is everything. Rest in power, legend.' Her fellow Labour MP Jas Athwal said on X: 'Deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Sardar Fauja Singh Ji. He was legendary – a man who continued running until he was 101. He was a global Sikh icon, that inspired millions across the world. 'His spirit and legacy of resilience will run on forever. My heartfelt condolences to all his family and friends. We will miss him.'
