The Turbaned Tornado: Fauja Singh, world’s oldest marathon runner, passes away

Fauja Singh, the oldest marathon runner in the world, died on Monday afternoon after being hit by an unidentified vehicle at his village of Beas Pind in Jalandhar. He was 114 years old.

Born on April 1 1911, Fauja rose to international fame when he started running marathons at the age of 89, following his migration to the UK in 1993 after the death of his wife Gian Kaur. According to his biography ‘Turbaned Tornado’, Fauja had started running in order to deal with depression following the deaths of several of his family members including his wife.

Fauja started with long walks in public parks in Ilford before starting to run longer distances.

Fauja’s late life interest in running was particularly remarkable for as he would later say, he had been very weak as a child and had had trouble walking until he was five years old.

After coming in contact with marathon coach Harmandar Singh, Fauja trained for the marathon distance with the goal of running for charity. He made his marathon debut at the age of 89 at the London Marathon in 2001 completing the 42.2km course in 6 hours and 54 minutes. His time broke the previous record in the 85+ age category by just two minutes short of an hour. He went on to become the oldest person to complete a full marathon in 2011 when at the age of 100 years, he finished the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 8 hours and 11 minutes. The following year he ran his final marathon in London, clocking a time of 7 hours and 49 minutes.

Between 2001 and 2012 he would a total of 9 full marathons. He ran London Marathon six times, Toronto Marathon twice and New York Marathon once. Speaking to The Indian Express, Fauja said “The first 20 miles are not difficult. As for last six miles, I run while talking to God.”.

While he didn’t compete in full length marathons after 2012, Fauja continued to run 10k races, running his final competitive race over that distance in 2013 in Hong Kong. Although he had stopped running over a decade ago, Fauja would still attend marathons while encouraging runners who were taking part.

Fauja’s achievements late in life made him an iconic figure. He became one of the faces of the Adidas Impossible is nothing campaign, was chosen to carry the Olympic torch for the London 2012 Games and was awarded the British Empire Medal for his services to sport and charity in 2015.

(FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013.
| Photo Credit:
DALE DE LA REY/AFP

Fauja Singh’s death was condoled by several including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria. Last year, Fauja Singh, in a symbolic gesture had joined Kataria in a walkathon to spread awareness against drug abuse and the governor had recalled the incident on Tuesday.

“Deeply saddened by the passing of Sardar Fauja Singh Ji, the legendary marathon runner and symbol of resilience. At 114, he joined me in the ‘Nasha Mukt, Rangla Punjab’ march with unmatched spirit. His legacy will continue to inspire a drug-free Punjab. Om Shanti Om,” the governor posted on X.