Fauja Singh was born on 1st April in the year 1911. He is a Sikh marathon runner from India and is in his nineties. In 1992 Fauja Singh moved to London from Punjab following the death of his wife to live with his youngest son`s family. Sitting idle Singh took up running there. In his younger days in India, he had been a casual runner but gave up when he was 36. As he said, "I love it because it is good for my health and it gets me out of the house. Marathons are tough, and when you`re even 10 yards from the finish, you can`t believe you put yourself through it. But once you cross the finish line, that changes and its pure elation."
Fauja Singh is a world-record holder in his age bracket. In the year 2000 Singh took part in the London marathon at the age of 89. He covered 26.2 mile (42 km) in 6 hours, 2 minutes, and that remains as is his current personal best time. He received his training under his trainer Harminder Singh. He is aged over 95.
In the year 2004, he was featured in an advertising campaign for sportswear manufacturer Adidas with a caption `Nothing is Impossible` He is a 99-year-old athlete from Redbridge who only few years ago took up running, and was the oldest competitor in the Flora London Marathon. Singh has run six marathons, since 2000, including four in London.
He also works as a social worker. A huge fund that he accumulates from his athletic career and advertising campaigns is donated to various charities for promotion of Sikh Culture around the world. He has also been raising money for a charity B.L.I.S.S. which Singh terms as the `oldest running for the youngest`. The charity is dedicated to the care and concern of the premature babies.
A dynamic athlete through his achievements has set a benchmark for all youngsters. Defying his old age, Singh still goes on as he himself states `I won`t stop running until I die.`
