An ‘icon of humanity and powerhouse of positivity’ has died after being hit by a car.
Fauja Singh, believed to be the world’s oldest marathon runner, died while crossing the road in in his birth village Beas Pind in India on Monday.
Sikhs In The City, his London-based running club and charity, has now said all of its events up until the Fauja Singh Birthday Challenge next March will be devoted to Fajua to ‘celebrate his life of success and achievements’.
His coach, Harmander Singh, said the club is redoubling its efforts to build a clubhouse in Fajua’s name on the running route in Ilford where he used to train.
Harmander added in a statement to the club: ‘It is with great sadness that we can confirm our icon of humanity and powerhouse of positivity Fauja Singh has passed away in India. Aged 114 years old.
‘In lieu of flowers please donate to his Clubhouse Appeal so we can carry on his legacy to encourage the world to keep fit and stay positive.’
Nicknamed the ‘Turbaned Tornado’, Fauja ran a full marathon in Toronto, Canada, at the age of 100.
The former farmer, who was born in 1911, only took up running in 1994, two years after moving to England, in an attempt to overcome the grief of losing his fifth son Kuldip.
Fauja started to take his running more seriously in 2000 and that year he completed the London Marathon, his first ever full marathon run, clocking in at six hours and 54 minutes.
He knocked 58 minutes off the previous world’s best in the 90-plus age bracket in the process.
Since then the Indo-British athlete has run marathons in New York, Toronto as well as in Mumbai. His best time was recorded at the 2003 Toronto Waterfront Marathon where he completed the marathon in five hours and 40 minutes.
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In 2011, his 100th year, Fauja achieved eight world age-group records in a single day at the special Ontario Masters Association Fauja Singh Invitational Meet, at Birchmount Stadium in Toronto, Canada.
Three days later he became the first centenarian to finish a marathon, completing the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in eight hours, 11 minutes and six seconds.
However, Guinness World Records did not recognise the feat because Fauja could not produce his birth certificate to prove his age, as official birth records weren’t kept when he was born in India in 1911.
And in 2012, he acted as a torchbearer for the 2012 London Olympics.
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