ISSUE
Friday, August 22, 2025
Volume 16 . Issue 73
A 100-year-old Indian man became the first centenarian to complete a marathon when he finished the 42km event in Toronto at the weekend.
Punjab-born Fauja Singh, a British citizen, completed the run in eight hours, 11 minutes and 5.9 seconds on Sunday, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
It was Singh's eighth marathon. He set a record in the 90-plus age category in 2003 – also in the Toronto marathon – finishing in five hours, 40 minutes and one second.
A 27-year-old man taking part in the same event collapsed just 300 metres from the finish line and died. The man was taken from the course about 11:15am and transported to a hospital, where he later died.
Police did not confirm if the man was competing in the marathon, half-marathon or 5km run, but the Canadian press reported that it appeared he suffered a heart attack while running the half-marathon.
About 22,000 people participated in the three races and the marathon was won by Kenneth Mungara of Kenya in a time of two hours, nine minutes and 51 seconds.
Meanwhile, Singh, who was the last runner to complete the course, said he was overjoyed at his achievement.
"Beating his original prediction, he's overjoyed," his coach and translator Harmander Singh said.
"Earlier, just before we came around the (final) corner, he said, 'achieving this will be like getting married again.'
"He's absolutely overjoyed, he's achieved his life-long wish."
The coach said his runner had been aiming for a time of about nine hours.
While in Toronto, Fauja Singh on Thursday broke world records for runners older than 100 in eight different distances ranging from 100 metres to 5000 metres.
Singh, who speaks only Punjabi, was born on a farm in India in April 1911 and is 172cm and weighs just 52kg.
He has said previously that part of his secret is that he eats a light vegetarian diet of mainly tea, toast and curry.
Singh took up running about 20 years ago after losing his wife and child in tragic circumstances.
– Herald Sun
A 100-year-old Indian man became the first centenarian to complete a marathon when he finished the 42km event in Toronto at the weekend. Punjab-born Fauja Singh, a British citizen, completed the run in eight hours, 11 minutes and 5.9 seconds on Sunday, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation...
A 100-year-old Indian man became the first centenarian to complete a marathon when he finished the 42km event in Toronto at the weekend.
Punjab-born Fauja Singh, a British citizen, completed the run in eight hours, 11 minutes and 5.9 seconds on Sunday, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
It was Singh's eighth marathon. He set a record in the 90-plus age category in 2003 – also in the Toronto marathon – finishing in five hours, 40 minutes and one second.
A 27-year-old man taking part in the same event collapsed just 300 metres from the finish line and died. The man was taken from the course about 11:15am and transported to a hospital, where he later died.
Police did not confirm if the man was competing in the marathon, half-marathon or 5km run, but the Canadian press reported that it appeared he suffered a heart attack while running the half-marathon.
About 22,000 people participated in the three races and the marathon was won by Kenneth Mungara of Kenya in a time of two hours, nine minutes and 51 seconds.
Meanwhile, Singh, who was the last runner to complete the course, said he was overjoyed at his achievement.
"Beating his original prediction, he's overjoyed," his coach and translator Harmander Singh said.
"Earlier, just before we came around the (final) corner, he said, 'achieving this will be like getting married again.'
"He's absolutely overjoyed, he's achieved his life-long wish."
The coach said his runner had been aiming for a time of about nine hours.
While in Toronto, Fauja Singh on Thursday broke world records for runners older than 100 in eight different distances ranging from 100 metres to 5000 metres.
Singh, who speaks only Punjabi, was born on a farm in India in April 1911 and is 172cm and weighs just 52kg.
He has said previously that part of his secret is that he eats a light vegetarian diet of mainly tea, toast and curry.
Singh took up running about 20 years ago after losing his wife and child in tragic circumstances.
– Herald Sun
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