99 Years Young!! And, still pursuing excellence!!

My friend inspired me to start running, during my recent trip to Mumbai. It was electrifying to just hear the dedication of common people to run marathons irrespective of their long work hours, long commute, financial limitations etc. I felt so small. So with so much enthusiasm, I started running and magically, I seemed to have inspired a couple of friends who readily joined me for the run. Setting a target of 21 km by the end of 2011, I ran 5 km last weekend and 6 km this weekend. It was a beautiful feeling!! But, the day after, the feeling was not all that great. My knees hurt like hell. Although I had done enough study on pronation, I was not wearing the arch-foot-pad inside my shoe. Although I knew that this pain will fade away, my apprehensions about knee injury grew. And, that is when I read this inspiring story of a 99 year old Sikh man who is a World Record holder in marathon!!

Fauja Singh (born April 1, 1911) started running at the age of 81 and holds a world record in his age bracket. Fauja has participated in innumerable competitions worldwide, his fame prompting then Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to invite him to run in the inaugural Lahore Marathon in January 2005. He holds 12 Commonwealth, European and British records for his age-group, ran as one of the torch-bearers for the Athens Olympics in 2004 and was chosen, in 2005, as the Official Starter of the second biggest marathon in the UK, held in Edinburgh.

Fauja has broken bread at the Buckingham Palace with the Queen, who awarded him the runner-up award of Living Legend at Windsor Castle in 2006. More recently, Fauja was part of the Queen's Baton Relay, when it was flagged off in London as the run-up to the Commonwealth Games 2010 to be held in Delhi later this year.

His indefatigable spirit has won him a legion of fans. Impressed, sportswear giant Adidas chose Fauja to feature alongside David Beckham on its ‘Impossible is Nothing' campaign. Not only was his face splashed on huge billboards globally in 2004, Adidas named a shoe-range in his honor. And to think Fauja hadn't heard of Beckham until he was contacted for the ad campaign!

About the campaign, Fauja recalls, "My grandsons told me he was a very famous boy who played football. I was taken to a big stadium where they took my photos. Later, they gave me these shoes." He excitedly rolls up his trousers to reveal trainers named after him.

From living in a small town, Beas Pind in Punjab, for most part of his life - where his only skill was growing sugarcane and wheat - to becoming the poster boy for a whole generation of marathon athletes, the story of Fauja's life reads like fiction. But the marathon man ascribes his tremendous feats to God.

He came to live in the United Kingdom after he lost his wife and a son in quick succession over two decades ago, and moved in with another son in East London. Unable to cope with the bereavement and loneliness of living in a foreign country, a desperate Fauja realized he needed something that could alleviate his pain and infuse a sense of purpose in his otherwise vapid life. Before long, he rediscovered the passion of his youth. Fauja started running.

• Rediscovered at age of 81
• Marathons run: London (5), Toronto (1), New York (1)
• Marathon debut: London, 2000, aged 89
• London Flora Marathon 2000: 6:54
• London Flora Marathon 2001: 6:54
• London Flora Marathon 2002: 6:45
• Bupa Great North Run (Half Marathon) 2002: 2:39
• London Flora Marathon 2003: 6:02
• Toronto Waterfront Marathon 2003: 5:40
• New York City Marathon 2003: 7:35
• London Flora Marathon 2004: 6:07
• Glasgow City Half Marathon 2004: 2:33
• Capital Radio Help a London Child 10,000 m 2004: 1:08
• Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon 2004: 2:29:59

Incredible!! Inspiring!!

I am hitting 40 and I wonder if I have not achieved anything. My restless mind constantly explores passions and avenues to excel, hoping for excellence and achievements. I feel that I am running out of time. Not anymore. Fauja Singh inspires me to continue the exploration and strengthens my spirit to excel.

A humble salute to Fauja Singh.