Glimpses of Fauja Singh's fantastic run to finish line

Time of India

15-07-2025

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Chandigarh: His willowy frame housed an indomitable will, one which enabled him to live an extraordinarily long life and inspire many. For those who knew him and even those who did not, Fauja Singh was a phenomenon.
At well over 100, there was no twilight to his life, which was lived entirely in the spotlight.
"Even if you did not know him personally, he was an inspiration for all marathon runners. He has been a source of motivation that led me to complete 50 kms on my 50th birthday," said Rani Kanwar, who started running marathons at 45 and has since completed 400 half marathons, seven full marathons and three ultra marathons.
Even when he passed away at the unbelievable age of 114, it was due to an accident rather than "old age."
Old age did not apply to Fauja Singh, who met his youth shortly before 90. Fondly called the "turbaned tornado," he took up marathon running at the age of 89, after moving to the UK, where he was inspired by the sight of "old people" running in a park. However, the global icon's achievement is not merely running, as astonishing as it may have been.
What made Fauja Singh unique was both what he was running from and running towards.
He started running after losing a son decades ago. For him it was a way of coping with the tragedy and emerging stronger — inside out.
Gurpreet Kaur Wasi, organiser of the Super Sikh Run, vividly remembers her first meeting with him back in 2016. "When you reach his village in Beas, you don't need an address to reach him, just his name is enough. I waited for him for half an hour as he had gone out for a walk. Impatient, I went to the backyard of the solitary house standing in the middle of the fields.
That is when I saw Fauja Singh running in the fields. The memory is etched in my mind.
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Beyond fields and finish lines, there was the man himself — fond of watches, suits and polished leather shoes — never too shy to crack a joke, or even cuss, to everyone's amusement. Gurpreet noticed another inspiring peculiarity. "Fauja Singh used to run wearing a 10-metre long turban. This inspired generations to run in turbans, proud of who they are," she said.
Col Inderjit Singh, who has been running marathons for a decade, remembers Fauja Singh's thirst for life. Self negation was evidently not for him. "When I met him for the first time at the Gateway of India during the TATA Mumbai Marathon, I knew he enjoyed life to the fullest. Fauja Singh loved 'mitha,' (sweets) especially 'halva,' and would always dress formally. When you asked him how he ran so well at his age, he used to reply, 'I'm still jawan' (young),'" he recalled.
The story of his first marathon is as iconic as he was. Singh thought that the race was for 26 kilometres, but the unit being used was miles. So he ended up running 26 miles instead.
A chance encounter with the frail looking Fauja Singh often led people mistaken. Environmentalist Ripu Damaan Bevlii recalled, "Eight years ago, we were at a ground and I had to take him to the loo across the road. I thought I would have to help him cross, but I could not keep up with his pace — and I was just 30!"
The man who kept lacing up his shoes at an age when people usually hung them up, remained unchanged — cussing playfully, sharing jokes and living every moment.
For those who ran alongside him, watched him from afar, or simply heard of his feats, Fauja Singh was not just about finishing races — he was about starting them.