Farmer (When he was in India)
Marathon Runner (Retired)
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)
in centimeters- 172 cm
in meters- 1.72 m
in feet inches- 5’ 8”
Weight (approx.)
in kilograms- 53 kg
in pounds- 117 lbs
Eye Colour
Black
Hair Colour
Grey
Track and Field
Debut
London Marathon (Year 2000)
Coach/Mentor
Harmander Singh
Famous Quotes
• The Secret to a long and healthy life is to be stress-free. Be grateful for everything you have, stay away from people who are negative stay smiling and keep running
• It's not easy to run a marathon, I know it will be painful but when I start it, I know I'm going to finish it
• There are two noble things in life: one to do charity and other to look after your body
• I am inspired by honest people who don't cheat others. To me, the famous are those who are kind to fellow human beings and dedicate their life to charity
• Anything worth doing is going to be difficult
• Why worry about these small, small things? I don't stress. You never hear of anyone dying of happiness
Personal Life
Date of Birth
1 April 1911
Age (as in 2017)
106 Years
Birth Place
Beas Pind, Jalandhar, Punjab, British India
Zodiac sign/Sun sign
Aries
Nationality
British
Hometown
Beas Pind, Jalandhar, Punjab, British India
School
Not Known
College
Not Known
Educational Qualification
Not Known
Family
Father- Name Not Known Mother- Bhago Kaur Siblings- 4 (Name Not Known)
Religion
Sikhism
Hobbies
Running & Excercising
Girls, Affairs and More
Marital Status
Married
Wife/Spouse
Gian Kaur
Marriage Date
Year 1962
Children
Sons- Harwinder Singh
Kuldip Singh (Died in 1994)
Sukhjinder Singh Daughters- 3 (Name Not Known)
Some Lesser Known Facts About Fauja Singh
Does Fauja Singh smoke?: No
Does Fauja Singh drink alcohol?: No
He is the world’s oldest man to ever run a marathon.
Fauja Singh once said that until the age of 5, he was not able to walk properly, as his legs were too skinny to balance his body weight and most of the time he used to get tired easily even after walking short distances.
After he built up some bodily strength, at the age of 15, he started doing all the things that other men’s of the village are supposed to do. He used to wake up early in the morning, fed the cattle, worked manually in arable fields, pulling out water from wells and various other jobs, which involves manual tasks.
To maintain his strength, he used to subsist on milk, yoghurt, healthy farm vegetables, and bread. Once, he had mentioned that his healthy and disciplined lifestyle has played the major role in keeping him fit and active.
At one stormy night in 1994, he went out with his son, Kuldip Singh, to check the irrigation channel of the field, which was next to a construction site, accidentally, a grooved metal sheet fell on the skull of his son and ripped off his neck.
After the death of his wife, son and his elder daughter, he went into depression and to brought himself out of it, he had decided to make running as an essential activity of his life.
According to him, he found running as a medium, which has the power to transform lives. At the age of 89, he took running seriously and started practicing it under the supervision of his coach, Harmander Singh.
In 2000, he ran his first marathon, the London Marathon and after this, his life took a turn, and since then, he has participated in several International Marathons such as London Flora Marathon (2000-2004), Bupa Great North Run (2002), Glasgow City Half Marathon (2004), Toronto Waterfront Marathon (2011), Hong Kong Marathon (2012), Park Run UK (2012), and many more.
He has broken various records in multiple age brackets. He has completed eight world age group records after running 100 metres in 23.14 seconds, 200 metres in 52.23 seconds, the 400 metres in 2 minutes and 13.48 seconds, the 800 metres in 5 minutes 32.18 seconds, the 1500 metres in 11 minutes 27.81 seconds, one mile in 11 minute 53.45 seconds, the 3000 metres in 24 minutes 52.47 seconds, and the 5000 metres in 49 minutes 57.39 seconds.
In 2004, he was also featured in an Adidas advertising campaign, ‘Nothing Is Impossible,’ along with David Beckham and Muhammad Ali.
Guinness World Records had refused to officially recognize him as the oldest marathon runner in the world because he was not able to produce a valid birth certificate as in the early 1920s, in British India, no such birth certificates were made as a proof of your birth date.
In 2012, he had also carried the Summer Olympic Torch in London, United Kingdoms.
In 2012, he had taken his retirement from marathons after running a 10 km race in 1 hour 34 minutes in Hong Kong, China.
His biography, titled Turbaned Tornado, was written by Chandigarh-based columnist and writer Khushwant Singh, and on 7 July 2011, it was officially released by Lord Anthony Young of Norwood Green and retired British Crown Court judge, Sir Mota Singh.
On 13 November 2003, he was awarded ‘Ellis Island Medal of Honor’ by the National Ethnic Coalition. It is said that he is the first Non-American to get this Award. Also, he has recieved the ‘Pride of India’ title by a UK-based organisation in the year 2011.
In 2016, he came to India to cheer marathoners at Mumbai Marathon, in which various celebrities have also participated.
Here the whole story of this world’s oldest marathon runner. In this video, the brand, Nestle, is celebrating his enthusiasm for life.
Here is the video in which he himself is narrating the journey of his life.