Turban tornado: where the world’s oldest marathoner gets his strength from

Turban tornado: where the world’s oldest marathoner gets his strength from

Fauja Singh started running professionally at the age of 89. Still think it’s too late for you?

The turbaned tornado is exactly what the world’s oldest marathon finisher has been dubbed as he started his career as a professional athlete at the age of 89. Now Fauja Singh is 109 and holds records in the over 90 and 100 age groups. Although the athlete stopped participating in marathons by 2021, he still runs regularly. What is known about the living legend?

Biography

Singh was born very weak and only started walking by the age of five. He probably would not have connected his life with sports, continuing the business of his father-farmer, if not for the tragic events that forced him to abandon farming. After losing several important family members at once – two children and his wife – the future athlete began looking for an activity that would help him take his mind off his problems and help him improve. Thus, running not only brought Singh practically out of depression, but also brought him world fame.

Athletic achievements

Fauja Singh took part in the London Marathon for the first time at the age of 89. In 2003, he set a world record for the 42.2 km marathon distance in his age category – 5 hours and 40 minutes.

In 2011, after Singh ran the marathon at the age of 100, the athlete entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest marathoner. However, when registering the achievement, it turned out that the runner did not have a birth certificate. The fact is that in India before 1911 they were not issued, and the birth could only be found out from the registration journal. Nevertheless, with the recorded time, Fauja still became a record holder, showing a result of 8 hours 11 minutes and 16 seconds. He also raced in the 2012 race in Canada and the Mumbai Marathon in 2016 – to name just a few of his successes.

Výživa

The athlete believes the secret to his longevity is diet. At 172 centimeters tall, Singh weighs 53 kilograms. He is sure that you can not make food “the meaning of life”: you need to eat only to live, not the other way around, and in general you should move more and eat less.

Fauja himself eats baby portions, moreover, he is a vegetarian. So, his lunch might consist of a flatbread, a few spoonfuls of vegetables in kari sauce – his runner loves it – and rice. But besides eating healthy, Singh believes that one should also think positively and always strive for more.

Recognition

Soon after the grand races, popularity came to Fauj. He even became the face of the adidas brand with the slogan “The Impossible is Possible”. Indeed, during a race in Hong Kong in 2013, the runner fell and received a serious bruise, but was able to continue the race and finish to a standing ovation.

A biography of the athlete, “Turban Tornado”, authored by journalist Khushwant Singh, was recently released. It not only motivates people to get more involved in sports, but also helps them realize that it is never too late to start something you have always wanted to do.