Fauja Singh Broke Marathon Records but Never Animals’ Hearts

“There are two noble things in life: one to do charity and [the] other to look after your body,” Fauja Singh once told CNN. As a lifelong vegetarian, the world record-holding centenarian marathon runner did both.  

Singh, who passed today at the age of 114, credited his compassionate, healthy diet and love of exercise for the remarkable longevity and strength that allowed him to run straight into the history books as the oldest person ever to run a marathon, completing the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in just over eight hours at 100 years old. Just three days prior, he set five age bracket world records in a single day for the fastest 200-meter, 400-meter, 800-meter, 1-mile, and 3,000-meter runs. His personal best marathon time was five hours and 40 minutes, which he achieved at age 92. Not bad for a man who didn’t decide to take up running until age 81.

Singh gained fans the world over, who lovingly referred to him as “the Turbaned Tornado”—but he had never desired star status. As a devoted Sikh, he lived by the principles of humility, generosity, kindness, equality, and justice. He used the celebrity that was thrust upon him to advocate for animals, women, the less fortunate, and the environment, starring in an ad for PETA, and using his races to benefit charity.

Fauja Singh, our friend, you ran a great race. And you showed generations of fans just how far a little compassion could take them. From the bottoms of our running shoes and the bottoms of our hearts, we thank you.