Obituary: Tragic end for Fauja Singh, ageless 'Turbaned Tornado'

It was a cruel turn of fate that while old age failed to tame the 114-year-old Fauja Singh — the oldest marathon runner in history — his end came on Monday afternoon after he was hit by an unidentified vehicle at his village of Beas Pind in Jalandhar.

The Turbaned Tornado, as his biography was titled, was certainly one of a kind. Tributes poured in from all over the world and India for the iron-willed Sardar, who took to the marathon at a ripe old age of 89 to overcome depression following the death of his wife Gian Kaur in 1993 and several of his family members.

After making his mark at iconic global events like the London and New York marathons, Singh relocated to India and was happy to lend value as a symbol of a healthy lifestyle and optimism, with the Punjab government using the centurion for a campaign against drugs.

Punjab governor Gulab Chand Kataria recalled an incident in his tribute on social media about when Fauja had joined a walkathon only last year: “Deeply saddened by the passing of Sardar Fauja Singh Ji, the legendary marathon runner and symbol of resilience. At 114, he joined me in the Nasha Mukt, Rangla Punjab march with unmatched spirit. His legacy will continue to inspire a drug-free Punjab. Om Shanti Om.”

Fauja’s death was also condoled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh, and the sporting fraternity.

After migrating to the UK in the 1990s, Fauja started building his stamina with long walks in Ilford's public parks before starting to run long distances. Such an interest in running late in life was remarkable as he would later say he had been very weak as a child and had trouble walking until he was five. After coming in contact with marathon coach Harmandar Singh, Fauja trained for the marathon distance with the goal of running for charity.

He made his debut at 89 at the London Marathon in 2001, completing the 42.2km course in six hours and 54 minutes. His time broke the previous record in the 85-plus age category by just two minutes short of an hour. He went on to become the oldest person to complete a full marathon in 2011 when, at the age of 100, he finished the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in eight hours and 11 minutes. The following year, he ran his final marathon in London, clocking a time of seven hours and 49 minutes.

Between 2001 and 2012, Fauja ran a total of nine full marathons: the London Marathon six times, Toronto Marathon twice and the New York Marathon once. Asked how he managed all this, Fauja had famously said in an interview: “The first 20 miles are not difficult. As for the last six miles, I run while talking to God.”

While he didn’t compete in full-length marathons after crossing his ‘century’, Fauja continued to run 10 km races, running his final competitive race over that distance in 2013 in Hong Kong. Though he had stopped running over a decade ago, the man with the flowing beard would still attend marathons, encouraging other runners.

Fauja’s achievements so late in life made him a cult figure of sorts, and saw him be chosen to carry the Olympic torch for the 2012 London Games, and awarded the British Empire Medal for his services to sport and charity in 2015.

Rest in power Fauja Singh…may your race never end!