Fauja Singh: 114-Year-Old British-Indian Marathon Runner Dies in Tragic Hit And Run

• A man believed to be the oldest marathon runner in the world has died in a way many people wouldn't have expected
• The British Indian man, who is believed to be 114 years old, died after he was hit by a car while walking near his village
• Though he never got a Guinness World Record for his marathon at old age, he was regarded as a global icon

Fauja Singh, a man who started running marathons in his 80s, has sadly passed away in a tragic manner.

At the age of 114, he was hit and killed by a car while walking near his Indian village of Beas, in the northwestern Indian state of Punjab.

Police in India say they are working to arrest the hit-and-run driver responsible for Singh's death.

The police told CNN:

“We are working on identifying the vehicle. We are using CCTV footage in the area to trace the vehicle and have dispatched teams that are working on it."

Fauja Singh started running marathons in his late 80s

Singh was believed to be the oldest marathon runner in the world, having started running at the age of 89 when he moved to the UK, per CNN.

Singh made his first attempt at the London Marathon in 2000 when he was a month away from his 89th birthday.

He also ran in the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2003 where he completed the race in five hours and 40 minutes.

In 2005, the celebrated marathon runner received a special invitation from Pakistan's prime minister to participate in the inaugural Lahore marathon.

Though Singh never received a Guinness World Record for being world's oldest marathon runner, because he doesn't have a birth certificate for his feat at old age, he was recognised as a global icon.

Singh was born in India in 1911, he said running showed him kindness and gave him a new purpose in life.

"I don't remember my timings; it is my coach, Harmander Singh, who keeps the record of all my timings. But whatever I have achieved is all because of his training, and I sincerely followed his schedule. In London, he used to make me run uphill, and because of that, I kept on improving," he added. "Almost after every training session in London, I used to go to the gurdwara, where my diet was taken care of. Everyone there motivated me to run long distances."

Singh, who was also known as the “Turbaned Tornado” belonged to the Sikhs In The City, a running club in the UK.

The club said, per BBC:

"His running club and charity Sikhs In The City will be devoting all of its events until the Fauja Singh Birthday Challenge on Sunday 29 March 2026 to celebrate his life of success and achievements. We will be doubling the efforts to raise funds to building the Fauja Singh Clubhouse on the route in Ilford where he used to train."

When he spoke to the BBC in June, he said he still went for walks, noting that he had to take care of his body.

His words:

"I still go for walks around the village to keep my legs strong. A person has to take care of his own body."

Unfortunately, he was hit and killed on Monday, July 14, while walking.

Old woman weeps after his friend's death

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that a Nigerian woman who lost her childhood friend has gone viral online due to how she mourned her.

The death of her friend was kept a secret from her, but when she was eventually told, she was devastated.

In an emotional video, the old woman sat on a chair close to her friend's grave, singing and weeping in sorrow.

Source: Legit.ng