Tuesday, September 6, 2011

 Oldest marathon runner: Fauja Singh set world record (HD Video)

EDINBURGH, UK -- 100-year old Fauja Singh has become the first person to sign up for the 2012 Edinburgh race , setting the world record for the Oldest marathon runner, according to World Record Academy (www.worldrecordacademy.com).

  Photo: The world's oldest marathon runner has revealed eating ginger curry and drinking cups of tea, combined with "being happy", helps him train for 10 miles every day since turning 100. ( enlarge photo )

 The Guinness world record for the Oldest bridegrooms was set by 2,628 bridegrooms who married in The Bahamas: 86% of them were aged 30 or over.

Guinness World Records also recognized the world record for the Oldest brides: of the 2,628 marriages that took place in The Bahamas in 1996, 73.9% of the brides were aged 30 or over.

  Fauja Singh took up marathon running after his 89th birthday and has now completed seven races.
  He holds the world record for the men's over-90 category after completing the 2003 Toronto marathon in five hours and 40 minutes.

  The Indian-origin sprinter, who has completed seven marathons since turning 89, admitted of having plenty of ginger curry and copious amounts of tea in order to stay fit for his daily 10-mile training regime.

  The 100-year-old now hopes to take part in the Edinburgh 26.2-mile race as part of a four-man relay team with an average age of 86.

  Launching the opening of entries for the Edinburgh Marathon Festival 2012, he said: "I am not a learned person in any shape or form. To me, the secret is being happy, doing charity work, staying healthy and being positive.

 "If someone says I must stop running I ignore them - invariably they're younger than me. The secret to a long and healthy life is to be stress-free. If there's something you can't change then why worry about it?

  "Be grateful for everything you have, stay away from people who are negative, stay smiling and keep running."

  Born in India on April 1 1911, Fauja was a farmer in the Punjab when he first developed a love for running, but he only took the sport seriously when he moved to the UK 50 years later.

  He started challenging other pensioners to races and has now run five marathons in London, one in Toronto and one in New York.

  "I won't stop running until I die."

  The 10th Edinburgh Marathon Festival weekend will be held in May next year with organisers hoping to break all previous records and raise more than £4.5 million in 2012.