MNN - Mother Nature Network

At the age of 89, Fauja Singh decided to take up running. Not aquasize classes, not walking with ski poles, but running — and marathon running, at that.

 

Now at the tender age of 101, with eight marathons and a slew of records under his belt, the world's oldest marathoner will hang up his finish-line Mylar blanket after the Hong Kong Marathon next month. The Indian-born British national, dubbed the “Turbaned Tornado,” admitted that age is catching up with him and that he plans to formally retire from competitive running.

 

Recently, Singh ran the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in eight hours and 25 minutes, finishing 3,849th out of 3,855 runners. His current personal best for the London Marathon, which he has run five times, is six hours and two minutes, a time he set in 2003. His best marathon record overall is five hours and 40 minutes, set when he was 92, at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon.

 

Singh, who was born in 1911, mentioned that he was not suffering from any illnesses and did not rely on any medications. (No doping here.) “The reason for my good health is that I exercise daily and follow a proper diet regime,” he said. “I take happiness in biggest proportions, though my actual diet is very small.”

 

 “Daily exercise will keep you away from all diseases,” he added.

 

So what’s next for the superhero senior? Will he take up bridge and bingo? Not likely. “I will keep running for at least four hours daily,” Singh told the Times of India. "Running is my life. I will keep running to inspire the masses."

 

See Singh in action in the video below: