Veteran marathon runner Fauja Singh, known as the ‘Turbaned Tornado’, passed away at the age of 114 after being hit by an unidentified vehicle during a morning walk in Jalandhar. Fauja Singh made headlines around the world for taking up marathon running at the age of 89 in 2000. Over the years, he completed nine full marathons and became a global inspiration. His best marathon time was recorded in Toronto, where he completed the race in 5 hours, 40 minutes, and 4 seconds.
Why did he start running so late in life?
According to his biography, Fauja began running after going through a personal loss where he lost his wife, daughter, and son one after the other. Running became a distraction and a way to cope with the pain of losing his family.
Since then, he has been breaking records one after another and creating history. He held the world record for marathon running in his age group, had five British athletics records, and even carried the Olympic torch during the 2012 London Games. His last official marathon was in Hong Kong in 2013.
Fauja Singh’s secrets to living long and staying fit
How did Fauja Singh stay active and healthy well past the age of 100? The answer lies in his simple yet powerful lifestyle choices. In multiple interviews over the years, Fauja often said that the real secret to a long life is about keeping things stress-free, staying positive, and moving your body every day.
Stress-free life
“The secret to a long and healthy life is to be stress-free. Stay away from negative people, be grateful, smile often, and keep moving,” he told The Guardian in an earlier interview.
He strongly believed that mental peace is just as important as physical health. “You never hear of anyone dying of happiness,” he had once shared, reminding people that worrying only does more harm than good.
A Disciplined Daily Routine
Even in his late 90s and 100s, Fauja lived a life full of discipline and structure. He didn’t believe in sitting idle or wasting time. Every day, he walked for nearly four hours and often ran up to 10 kilometres. When asked if his legs hurt and if he ever wanted to give up, he said, “Yes, my legs hurt,” he admitted in an earlier interview. “But the legs of those who sit around all day hurt, too. Mine just gets stronger,” he further revealed in one of the previous interviews.
Healthy diet
His diet was equally simple and mindful. Fauja never preferred fried or packaged foods. He preferred light, home-cooked meals made with fruits, vegetables, and porridge. These basic foods kept his digestion strong and his energy levels high. Hence, despite his age, he didn’t suffer from lifestyle diseases like diabetes or heart problems.
No Alcohol, No Tobacco consumption ever
Fauja Singh never touched alcohol or tobacco in his life. In fact, he believed that these were harmful habits that drained people of their energy and health.
He lived by the principle that what you put into your body matters, whether it’s food, drinks, or even thoughts. By staying away from cigarettes and alcohol, Fauja kept his body clean from the inside, allowing it to perform and recover better, especially important for someone who was regularly running long distances even in old age.
His clean eating habits and a healthy lifestyle were the main reasons he was still so active and disease-free at 114.
Positive mindset
More than anything, it was Fauja Singh’s mindset that truly made him special. He was a firm believer of positivity and purpose. A deeply spiritual man, he often said he would “talk to God” while running, especially during the last, toughest stretches of a marathon.
