The world's oldest marathon runner dies at 114 – Fauja Singh abstained from alcohol and ate ginger curry every night

On October 16, 2011, Fauja Singh crossed the finish line of the Toronto Waterfront Marathon after eight hours and eleven minutes. Far behind the winner, Kenyan Kenneth Mburu Mungara, who crossed the finish line after just over two hours. But the two were separated not just by time, but by almost a lifetime.

Here, Mungara, 38 years old and a professional. There, Singh, 100 years old and an amateur. And that's why it wasn't the winner who made history on this day, but the man who, at 100 years old, was the first to finish a marathon. And Faujah Singh's story is better than any personal best anyway.

Since that autumn day in 2011, Singh has been considered the world's oldest marathon runner. There was a tragic reason why he became a long-distance runner at such an advanced age: Singh began running to overcome his grief.

In the 1990s, he first lost his wife and, shortly thereafter, one of his sons. Kuldip Singh died in 1994 right before Fauja's eyes, decapitated by a piece of sheet metal blown by the wind. Father and son were farmers and had just finished inspecting their field. Singh, whose five other children had emigrated, suddenly found himself alone. He plunged into a deep crisis, feeling "more dead than alive," and moved to London to be with his youngest son.

There, he participated in sporting events organized by the Sikh community. There were also marathon runners there. They persuaded him to try long-distance running. One day, Singh saw a marathon on television – and became obsessed with the sport. "When I started running, it was like meeting God himself. I've been running ever since," he said in a 2013 interview with CNN.

At the age of 89, Singh ran his first marathon in London in 2000. He finished in 6 hours and 54 minutes, beating the previous record in his age group by almost an hour. Eight more marathons followed. With his turban and long beard, Singh became a welcome and eye-catching participant in various running events around the world.

He set his personal best in Toronto at the age of 92. He covered the distance in the Canadian metropolis in 5 hours and 40 minutes. But how could he still run such distances at such an advanced age?

Singh always claimed that his body remained remarkably healthy. He said he felt little physical decline even in his advanced age. At the age of 94, he had a bone test. Doctors found that his left leg had the bone density of a 35-year-old, while his right leg had that of a 25-year-old.

This was particularly important because Singh was physically weak as a child. His family even considered him disabled. His legs were thin, and walking was difficult for him. He wasn't able to walk properly until the age of five, and by the age of ten he was able to lead a normal life. "When I was young, I didn't even know the word 'marathon' existed," he once told the BBC.

Diet played an important role in his life. Singh was a vegetarian, drank a cup of tea every day, and ate ginger curd every evening. He loved "laddu," an Indian sweet made from curdled milk. He abstained from alcohol and smoking. And he placed great value on rest: "The secret to a ripe old age is a stress-free life."

Singh completed his last race in Hong Kong in 2013, where he finished 101st. It wasn't a marathon, but a ten-kilometer race. Singh completed the course in one hour, 32 minutes, and 28 seconds. "I'm happy to retire at the peak of my career," he said at the time with a wink.

Throughout his years as a runner, Singh has become an international celebrity. He carried the Olympic flame in Athens in 2004 and in London in 2012, and shot an Adidas ad campaign alongside David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane. "Running has shown me kindness and revived me, making me forget all my traumas and worries," he told CNN.

But Singh never made it into the Guinness Book of Records. Guinness World Records denied him the title of oldest marathon runner in history. Why? Singh claimed to have been born on April 1, 1911. However, he had no birth certificate; such documents were not yet issued in India at that time. And so, throughout his life, he could only produce a passport. However, that wasn't enough for those in charge. "As much as we would like to confirm this record, we simply lack the evidence," explained Craig Glenday, Editor-in-Chief of Guinness World Records, at the time.

Singh didn't care about the missing entry in the record book. More important to him was his own story: "Out of tragedy came much success and happiness," the BBC quoted him as saying after the final race of his career. Now that story is over.

On Monday, Fauja Singh died in a traffic accident in India. He was struck by a vehicle while crossing the road in the village of Bias in the state of Punjab. The driver fled.

Singh was taken to hospital with severe head injuries and succumbed to his injuries. His London running club, "Sikhs In The City," confirmed his death. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised him as an "exceptional athlete with incredible determination."

This determination earned him several nicknames. Some called him "Turbo Turban," others referred to him as "Sikh Superman" or "Running Baba." The sports world celebrated him as a running legend.

But for most, he remains simply the man who ran marathons at over 100 years old. According to his documents, Fauja Singh lived to be 114 years old.