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A run for ages
By Jose Marinez, the daily News
November 2, 2003
Fauja Singh, 92, is oldest runner.
At 92 years old, Fauja Singh can see the finish line - of the New York
City Marathon.
The slender nonagenarian will make his New York City Marathon debut today, running - yes, running - alongside tens of thousands for 26.2 miles on what is expected to be an unusually warm fall day.
"Other people my age are hobbling around with sticks," Singh said yesterday. "I am blessed with the ability to do this."
It will be the sixth marathon for Singh, who ran his first one three years ago in 6 hours, 54 minutes. In his most recent run, at Toronto's Waterfront Marathon in September, Singh clocked in at a personal best of 5 hours, 40 minutes.
"I actually owe it to the grace of God to allow me to do such things," Singh said.
Wearing a yellow turban and with a Union Jack flag as a cape, the bearded British Sikh said he is using the marathon to promote understanding of Sikh culture.
Singh's marathon appearance is sponsored by Sher-E-Panjab, a Sikh New York weekly newspaper, and Sikhs in England, a British group. The groups are sponsoring nine Sikh runners, including three others over the age of 60.
None comes within two decades of Singh.
"He's an inspiration to a range of people in England," said Harmander Singh, who described how some British Sikh surgeons keep photos of the elderly marathoner.
Before arriving in New York late Friday, Fauja Singh had never been to the city. He didn't take long to check out Central Park, going for a run early yesterday.
"It's a lovely place," he said of the city. "But lovely places are only lovely because of the people."
During his travels through the five boroughs, Singh will be cheered by hundreds of Sikhs, who have lined up four posts in Manhattan and one apiece in Queens and Brooklyn to root on their man.
Singh said he is looking to put on a show for them, and isn't the least bit worried about his health.
"If something happens to me while I'm running, at least there will be a lot of attention," he said. "If something happened to me at home, no one would know."
His fellow contestants turned out for the traditional carbo-loading feast at Tavern on the Green last night, gobbling 7,800 pounds of pasta and 800 gallons of sauce.
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© 2002 Global Action on Aging
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