At age 100, Fauja Singh has become the oldest person to ever complete a full distance marathon. Singh ran a 42.195-kilometre marathon, taking him over eight hours to complete. Singh broke world records for runners older than 100 in eight different distances ranging from 100 metres to 5,000 metres. Fauja Singh also carried the torch during the relay for the 2004 Athens Games.
Fauja Singh began running roughly 20 years ago after losing his wife and child. Singh ran his first marathon at the age of 89. In the 2003 Toronto event, he set the mark in the 90-plus category, finishing the race in five hours 40 minutes and one second. Sunday’s run was Fauja Singh’s eighth marathon.
Race director Alan Brookes was amazed by Fauja Singh’s remarkable accomplishment. “I’m speechless,” he said. “Fauja Singh is a remarkable human being.”
Coach and translator Harmander Singh stated:
“He’s absolutely overjoyed, he’s achieved his life-long wish.”
Harmander Singh went on further to say,
“He said he achieved this through the help of God but even God must be getting fed up of helping him”
Fauja Singh was greeted with family, friends, media, and supporters as he approached the finish line. Singh is hoping to participate in the torch relay for the 2012 London Summer Games.
