My Personal Hero is No More, But Lives On in All of Our Hearts
I first learned of Bhai Fauja Singh in about 1997 from his London-based coach, Harmander Singh, a member of the Gurmat Learning Zone, an international email group. Harmander would write stories about their training sessions and share tips on how to train to run with other members. These were the early days of the internet, and we would receive news about Bhai Fauja Singh from Harmander long before we heard it from another source. The knowledge that a Sikh man in his 80s continued to make and break world records inspired me. In my mid-40s, the idea of getting stronger with age appealed to me enormously, and Bhai Fauja Singh became my personal hero. I have been a huge fan ever since, and followed his incredible accomplishments over the decades.
Born frail, the world’s oldest marathon runner, Bhai Fauja Singh, could not walk before the age of 5, and had become a young man before he could walk properly. He then became interested in running until the partition of Pakistan and India halted his progress in the late 1940s. He devoted himself to farming and family life, marrying and raising six children.
As adults, most of his children left India to settle in Canada and the UK. Both his wife and eldest daughter passed away in 1992. Then, in 1994, a freak accident took the life of his youngest son, who had remained with him on their farm. Persuaded by his surviving children, Fauja Singh emigrated to London, where he became interested in running marathons at age 88 in 1999.
Bhai Fauja Singh earned the nickname “Turbaned Tornado” after going on to win a series of marathons and break records, including those that he had previously broken. He continued to run competitively until he formally retired at the age of 102. Retirement from competition, however, did not stop him from running altogether. Fauja Singh kept on going. He continued running for charitable events, exercise, and the sheer joy of movement.
At age 104, he modeled “AGE APPROPRIATE” outfits for a fashion magazine layout. Bhai Fauja Singh attributed his good health and stamina to a simple vegetarian diet consisting of unleavened bread, lentil dhal, yogurt, and vegetables, while drinking only water and ginger tea.
Bhai Fauja motivated countless children and adults during his lifetime. His story inspired articles, books, and global news coverage. Bhai Fauja Singh practiced what he preached and continued running right up until the end. He did not perish because of sickness or old age, as one might expect. According to his coach, Harmander Singh of Sikhs in the City, at age 114, Bhai Fauja Singh succumbed to head and rib injuries at Shrimann Superspeciality Hospital after an unidentified vehicle stopped him in his tracks during his last run, when it struck him as he crossed the road in his hometown of Bias, near Jalandhar in Punjab, India, on Monday, July 14, 2025.
Bhai Fauja, a living legend in his own time, will not be forgotten by those who knew and hold him forever in their hearts. His “keep-up” attitude and healthful lifestyle will continue to inspire countless generations to come.
