Fauja Singh (Punjabi: ਫੌਜਾ ਸਿੰਘ; died 14 July 2025) was a British marathon runner. He beat a number of world records in multiple age brackets, but none of his times were ratified as records. His personal best time for the London Marathon (2003) was 6:02, and his marathon best, claimed for the 90-plus age bracket, was 5:40 at the alleged age of 92, at the 2003 Toronto Waterfront Marathon Fauja Singh Dhindsa claimed to have been born in Beas Pind, Jalandhar, Punjab, British India on 1 April 1911, the youngest of four children. Singh did not walk until he was five years old. His legs were thin and weak, and he could hardly walk long distances. Because of this, he was often teased, and he was called by the nickname "danda" (Punjabi: ਡੰਡਾ for "stick") for the next ten years. As a young man, Singh was an avid amateur runner, but he gave it up at the time of the Partition of India. Singh in 2007 Return to running as a passion It was only after witnessing the death of his fifth son, Kuldip, in a construction accident in August 1994, that Singh returned to his passion for running, in 1995. The death of his wife in 1992 and his eldest daughter who had died from complications after giving birth to his third granddaughter gave him the determination for this new focus in life. He emigrated to England in the 1990s and lived with one of his sons in Ilford. Aged 89, Singh took seriously to running and ended up in international marathon events. When he first turned up for training at Redbridge, Essex, he was dressed in a three-piece suit. The coach had to rework everything, including his attire. Singh ran his first race, the London Marathon, in 2000.[8] According to his coach, he used to run up to 20 kilometres easily and wanted to run a marathon, thinking it to be just 26 kilometres and not 26 miles (42 kilometres). It was after he realised this that he began training seriously. Aged 93, Singh completed a marathon in 6:54, 58 minutes quicker than the world best for the 90-plus age bracket. That same year, in 2004, he was featured in an advertising campaign for sportswear manufacturer Adidas alongside David Beckham and Muhammad Ali. Singh bettered the UK records for the 200 metres, 400 metres, 800 metres, the mile, and the 3000 metres for his claimed age group, all within a single 94-minute period, but they are not currently listed as records. Aged 100, Singh attempted and accomplished eight world age group records in one day, at the special Ontario Masters Association Fauja Singh Invitational Meet, held at Birchmount Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Timed by officials in Canada, he ran the 100 metres in 23.14, 200 metres in 52.23, the 400 metres in 2:13.48, the 800 metres in 5:32.18, the 1500 metres in 11:27.81, the mile in 11:53.45, the 3000 metres in 24:52.47, and the 5000 metres in 49:57.39, setting five world records for his age group in one day. Some events had no previous record holder, as nobody over age 100 had ever attempted the distance. Some of his marks are significantly superior to the listed world record in the M95 age group as well.[17] Three days later, on 16 October 2011, Singh was claimed to have become the first 100-year-old to finish a marathon, completing the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 8:11:06. As it took him over 14 minutes after the gun to cross the starting line, the official time submitted, and declined, for the age group record was 8:25:17. Singh's biography, titled Turbaned Tornado, was formally released in the Attlee Room of Britain's House of Lords on 7 July 2011 by Anthony, Lord Young of Norwood Green and retired British Crown Court judge Sir Mota Singh. The book was written by Chandigarh-based columnist and writer Khushwant Singh. In October 2011, Singh, a vegetarian, became the oldest man to be featured in a PETA campaign. In 2012, Singh participated as a special guest for the 2nd Annual Chardikala Run in Malaysia. The run was given a theme '101 and running' as a mark of respect for Singh. He was presented with The BrandLaureate Award on stage during the closing ceremony.[citation needed] That year, he was also a torch bearer at the 2012 Summer Olympics. After taking part in the Hong Kong marathon on 24 February 2013, Singh stated that he would retire from competitive running. He completed the 10 kilometre run at the Hong Kong marathon in 1 hour 32 minutes and 28 seconds, Following his retirement, Singh still enjoyed cheering on marathon runners at events. Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/despardestvpage Website | https://www.despardestv.ca Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/despardestv Email | [email protected] Phone | India: +91 9814081457 | Canada: +1 604 599 6962 #despardestv #punjab #punjabi #faujasingh