True Sikh High Achiever

100-year-old Brit sets sprint records, eyes marathon best

 

Sat Oct 15 01:14PM

One-hundred-year-old Fauja Singh has run his way into the record books after setting eight sprint bests in his age category.

The centenarian only had to complete the distances to set the record - nobody his age has posted a timed mark in the past - but did so to claim a host of records.

But Singh is now aiming to go one step further when he runs the upcoming Toronto marathon on Sunday.

He has a personal best of five hours, 40 minutes, set back in 2003, making him the world record holder at the distance for a man aged 90 or over, and is looking to break that record.   

Singh, born in India in 1911, received a telegram from the Queen for reaching his 100th birthday in April, but only took up running seriously at the age of 88.

He told Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail that he never thought about his age.

"The first thing is to get rid of this notion that you're old," Singh said. "The other thing is, some people die of starvation in some parts of the world, but in western countries people die of overeating. And they don't do enough exercise to burn it off. You eat to live, not live to eat.

"Many people have been inspired enough to get off their backsides, but I'd like more people to do that. It's one thing to say you're inspired, but another to prove it, to actually do something about it. My message to all elders is if you give up, it's going to give up on you."

His coach, Harmander Singh, added that Fauja had started running in order to move after the deaths of his wife and son.

"Running has given him a new focus in life," Harmander said.