Legendary Sikh marathon runner dies in road accident at the age of 114 years
Kanwar Inder singh/ royalpatiala.in News/ July 14,2025
“My Turbaned Tornado is no more. Sharing with great sadness the passing on of my most revered, S Fauja Singh. He was hit by an unknown vehicle around 3:30 PM in his village Bias today, while he was crossing the road. Rest in peace my dear Fauja, meaning army” Khushwant Singh, writer of Fauja Singh’s biography shared this tragic information.
Originally a farmer from Indian Punjab, Fauja Singh, 114 years old a British Sikh marathon runner has died in a road accident. The long distance runner is also believed to be the oldest man to have completed a full marathon, at the age of 100.
Having taken up running to overcome grief at the age of 89, Fauja Singh, now retired, has numerous records to his name in multiple age brackets. He remained a motivation and goal-setter for the younger generations when it comes to fitness.
Fauja Singh was born on April 1, 1911 in Beas Pind in Jalandhar, Punjab was the youngest of four children in a farming family. In 1992, he moved to England and settled in East London with his son after his wife Gian Kaur’s death in Jalandhar.
His 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.
Fauja Singh was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor by the National Ethnic Coalition on November 13, 2003 for being a symbol of racial tolerance. He was the first non-American to receive the honour. Fauja Singh was also awarded the Pride of India title in 2011.
A torchbearer for the London 2012 Olympics, Fauja Singh retired at the age of 101, after completing his last long distance competitive race in Hong Kong, where he finished a 10km run in 1 hour 32 minutes and 28 seconds.
How it started
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 lives with one of his sons in Ilford.
At 89 years, he 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. 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.
At the age of 93, Singh completed a marathon in 6 hours and 54 minutes, 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.
Since then, Fauja Singh has never looked back. The Indo-British athlete has run marathons in New York, Toronto as well as in Mumbai. He was closely monitored by his personal trainer Harminder Singh throughout his career.
Nicknamed the Turbaned Tornado, Fauja Singh has raised funds for various charities while promoting the Sikh culture around the world by participating in various marathons.
In 2011, Fauja Singh, at the age of 100, 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.
The run was timed by officials in Canada. Fauja Singh ran the 100m in 23.14, 200m in 52.23, 400m in 2:13.48, 800m in 5:32.18, 1500m in 11:27.81, one mile in 11:53.45, 3000m in 24:52.47 and 5000m in 49:57.39, resetting five world records for his age group in one day.
Ontario Masters Association Invitational Meet: World records broken by Fauja Singh
100m – 23.40 seconds (previous 29.83)
200m – 52.23 seconds (previous 77.59 seconds)
400m – 2:13.48 (previous 3:41.00)
800m – 5:32.18 (no previous record)
1,500m – 11:27.00 (previous 16:46.00)
Mile – 11:53.45 (no previous record)
3,000m – 24:52.47 (no previous record)
5,000m – 49:57.39 (no previous record)
Three days later, on October 16, 2011, Fauja Singh became the first centenarian to finish a marathon, making him the oldest marathoner. He completed the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 8 hours 11 min and 6 seconds.
Fauja Singh’s running achievements
- 2000 London Marathon: 6 hours 54 min
- 2001 London Marathon: 6 hours 54 min
- 2002 London Marathon: 6 hours 45 min
- 2003 London Marathon: 6 hours 2 min
- 2003 Toronto Waterfront Marathon: 5 hours 40 min (Personal Best)
- 20003 New York City Marathon: 7 hours 35 min
- 2004 London Marathon: 6 hours 7 min
- 2004 Glasgow City Half Marathon: 2 hours 33 min
- 2004 Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon: 2 hours 29 min 59 sec
- 2011 Toronto Waterfront Marathon: 8 hours 11 min
- 2012 London Marathon: 7 hours 49 min 21 sec
- 2012 Hong Kong Marathon (10 km): 1 hour 34 min
- 2013 Hong Kong Marathon (10 km): 1 hour 32 min 28 sec
Awards won by Fauja SIngh
Fauja Singh was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor by the National Ethnic Coalition on November 13, 2003 for being a symbol of racial tolerance. He was the first non-American to receive the honour. Fauja Singh was also awarded the Pride of India title in 2011.
A vegetarian, Fauja Singh is also the oldest man to have featured in a PETA campaign. He also appeared in a commercial for a leading sports brand, alongside David Beckham and Muhammad Ali.
