In a heartbreaking turn of events, Fauja Singh, a British-Indian man hailed as the world's oldest marathon runner, has passed away at 114 after a tragic hit-and-run incident in India.
According to BBC, the remarkable life of Singh, who began running marathons at 89 and inspired millions with his grit, ended abruptly on Monday in his birth village of Beas Pind, near Jalandhar, Punjab, when an unidentified vehicle struck him while he crossed a road, leading to his death in a hospital despite local efforts to save him.
Born in 1911, as noted on his British passport, Singh's early years in Punjab were marked by physical challenges, unable to walk properly until age five, yet he overcame this to become a global icon.
Before turning 40, Singh endured the turmoil of both World Wars and the Partition as a farmer in Punjab, a life far removed from the athletic fame that awaited him.
Personal tragedies, including the loss of his wife and a son in a devastating accident, pushed him to relocate to London in the early 1990s to live with his eldest son, where running became his solace against grief.
In Ilford, east London, Singh found camaraderie with a group of elderly runners at a gurdwara and met Harmander Singh, his coach, who transformed his life by introducing him to marathon running.
Starting at nearly 89, Singh debuted at the 2000 London Marathon for a charity supporting premature infants, finishing in just under seven hours, a stunning feat for his age.
His persistence paid off as he shaved minutes off his times in subsequent London Marathons and, by 2003, clocked an impressive five hours and 40 minutes at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon.
In 2011, Singh reportedly became the first centenarian to complete a full marathon in Toronto, though Guinness World Records declined to recognize this due to the absence of a birth certificate from his era in India.
Known as the "Turbaned Tornado," Singh ran marathons into his 100s, setting records across age categories, and even carried the torch for the 2012 London Olympics, embodying an unyielding spirit.
His refusal to compromise his Sikh identity shone through when he insisted on wearing his turban during his first London Marathon, eventually winning that battle with organizers. As he put it, "I refused to run without my turban," marking it as his proudest achievement.
Singh’s global recognition came with endorsements like Adidas’ 2004 campaign alongside icons like Muhammad Ali, yet he directed most earnings to charity, showing where his heart truly lay.
While progressive agendas often demand rigid documentation over lived experience, Singh’s lack of an official birth record didn’t diminish his impact, as tributes from figures like Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who called him an "exceptional athlete with incredible determination," attest.
Now, as Sikhs In The City, his running club and charity, dedicates events through March 2026 to honor him, plans to build the Fauja Singh Clubhouse in Ilford remind us of a man who ran for more than just records. Their statement, "We will be doubling the efforts to raise funds," reflects a fitting tribute to his tenacity.
Singh’s own words to the BBC, "Eating less, running more, and staying happy," offer a timeless lesson in a world often obsessed with overcomplication, while a search continues for the driver who ended this extraordinary life, with police promising swift action.
