A 100-year-old British man has become the world’s oldest marathon runner after finishing a race in Canada.
Indian-born Fauja Singh, from east London, ran the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in eight hours, 25 minutes and 16 seconds – finshing in 3,850th place, ahead of five other competitors.
Officials from the Guinness Book of World Records were present to witness Mr Singh become the oldest person in the world to finish a full marathon.
The Guinness World Record holder, who already holds the record for the over-90 category after running the 2003 Toronto marathon in five hours and 40 minutes, took up running 11 years ago after his wife and son died and runs 10 miles every day.
His coach and translator Harmander Singh said Mr Singh was “overjoyed” at finishing the marathon.
“Earlier, just before we came around the (final) corner, he said, ‘achieving this will be like getting married again’.
“He’s absolutely overjoyed, he’s achieved his lifelong wish.”
Mr Singh also broke another eight world records for 100-year-old men by completing all eight distances in the marathon, ranging from 100m to 5,000m.
He has been dubbed the “Turbaned Tornado”, which is the title of his biography, published last year, which he has not been able to read because he is illiterate.
In 2004, he replaced England footballer David Beckham and champion boxer Muhammad Ali as poster boy for Adidas’s ‘Impossible is nothing’ advertising campaign.
Mr Singh was born in India in 1911 and was a farmer in the Punjab before moving to Britain in the 1960s.
He praises ginger curry, tea and “being happy” for his stamina in his old age.
He said: “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.”
Check out this video of Fauja Singh crossing the finish line at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon:
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