Fauja Singh

Some Lesser Known Facts About Fauja Singh

• Did Fauja Singh smoke?: No

• Did Fauja Singh drink alcohol?: No

• He was 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 of the village were supposed to do. He used to wake up early in the morning, feed the cattle, work manually in arable fields, pulling out water from wells and various other jobs, which involved 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 had played a 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 bring himself out of it, he decided to make running 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. He went on to participate 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 broke various records in multiple age brackets. He 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 recognise 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 proof of your birth date.

• In 2012, he also carried the Summer Olympic Torch in London, United Kingdom.

• In 2012, he took 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 the ‘Ellis Island Medal of Honour’ by the National Ethnic Coalition. It is said that he is the first non-American to get this Award. He also received the ‘Pride of India’ title from a UK-based organisation in the year 2011.

• In 2016, he came to India to cheer marathoners at the Mumbai Marathon, in which various celebrities also participated.

• Fauja Singh passed away on 14 July 2025 after he was hit by a speeding vehicle while he was taking a walk outside his residence in Beas.

• Here is the whole story of the 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.