Why the World's Oldest Marathon Runner is Retiring


At 101-year-old, he's the world's oldest marathon runner. Fauja Singh, a Sikh, will retire from competition this weekend after running in Hong Kong.

Why the World's Oldest Marathon Runner is Retiring

"The Turbaned Tornado"

Nicknamed the "Turbaned Tornado", Singh began running at 89 and has since finished nine marathons. He concedes that age has become too much of a factor for him. He is an Indian-born British national, who only speaks Punjabi.

Speaking through an interpreter, he told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that he dislikes the word 'retire' saying: "I can still run and jump on a bus. It's a sense of negativity that I have never experienced before."

Great-great-grandfather competes

Singh was a farmer in Punjab, India before immigrating to England. He's a great-great-grandfather and has competed in nine 26-mile marathons in London, Toronto and New York. He was clocked in Toronto at 5:40:04, his personal best. Kenya's Geoffrey Mutai has the best marathon time at 2:03:02, in Boston 2011.

The indefatigable Singh weighs 115 pounds, says he is illness-free, but wants to retire from competition. He will continue running for personal health.

The death of his wife and a son forced him to refocus on a new outlet in life.

The 'Turbaned Tornado' was a torchbearer for the 2004 Athens games and last year's London Olympics, and has been featured in sports advertisements alongside David Beckham and Muhammad Ali.

His trainer believes Singh's positive attitude is the reason for his success.