Fauja Singh does it again...!!

[Sherni-E-Punjab]

lol ...damn i only wonder wot marathons ill be running wen me iz 92

wicked guy man....

way to goooooooooooooo!! 8) 8)

of course desi blood huh:P ..nah jokes..!!

Nonagenarian marathon man

By JEFF GRAY

From Monday's Globe and Mail

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Toronto — Many who cross the finish line at a marathon look defeated, their bodies too weary to muster a smile, or even walk without help. Not Britain's 92-year-old Fauja Singh.

After running 42.2 kilometres, he jogged across the finish line, grey beard billowing in the breeze. Then he just stood there, steady and relaxed on his two bone-thin legs, smiling and waving at the throng of media and supporters greeting him.

At Sunday's Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Mr. Singh shattered his own previous world record for nonagenarians, finishing in five hours, 40 minutes and three seconds. His previous best was six hours, 11 minutes and nine seconds, set in London, England, in April.

"It wasn't very tough at all," said Mr. Singh, who moved to England from India's Punjab state about 10 years ago. Speaking through a translator after the race, he also thanked Torontonians — who cheered loudly as his bobbing yellow turban and matching yellow T-shirt approached the finish line — for their support. "I'm very happy."

Mr. Singh's wasn't the only milestone at the race Sunday. Ed Whitlock, 72, of Milton, Ont., his face bloodied and bruised from a fall last week, became the world's first man over 70 to run a marathon in under three hours. He came in with a time of two hours, 59 minutes and nine seconds.

Mr. Whitlock, huddling under a reflective thermal blanket, said he wasn't even really a marathon runner, preferring shorter distances. "I was dead on my feet. I couldn't have gone much further. I had a real tough time doing the last 200 metres."

Still, he played down the accomplishment: "Someone my age should have done under three hours before this. It's not that tough a record, really."

The retired mining engineer, who came to Canada 50 years ago from England, runs a couple of hours every day. But his training was interrupted by a fall on his way to a corner store last Tuesday, an accident that left scabs on his forehead and cheek. "It did nothing for my overall confidence," he said.

Mr. Singh and Mr. Whitlock were clearly the crowd favourites, earning louder cheers than even the overall winners at the awards ceremony after the race. In the men's marathon, 28-year-old Joseph Nderitu of Kenya was first in 2:17:50.0, and Jim Finlayson, 28, of Victoria, was second in 2:20:44.3

In the women's race, Russian national team member Lyubov Morgunova, 32, took first in 2:36:19.5. Nicole Stevenson, 30, originally from Hamilton, was second in 2:42:08.7.

Meanwhile, in the Berlin Marathon yesterday, Kenya's Paul Tergat set his own world record: two hours, four minutes and 55 seconds. It was 43 seconds ahead of the the old mark set by Moroccan-born American Khalid Khannouchi in London last year.

While Mr. Singh likely isn't aiming at times like that, he is planning to run another marathon this year, in New York on Nov. 2. He is now headed back to Britain to train.

Jasbinder Dhindsa, 36, whose grandfather was Mr. Singh's brother, said the marathon runner was born in 1911 and worked as a farmer in rural Punjab, growing crops such as rice, wheat and potatoes. Mr. Singh moved to England about 10 years ago to live close to his son and other relatives after his wife died. At age 89, he took up running again, having given up the sport at age 36.

Mr. Dhindsa said even he had doubts at first about whether a 92-year-old should be running marathons. "He made me a believer this morning. I had never seen him run before."

After the race, Mr. Singh, a father of four with 13 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, laughed and talked with a group of friends and relatives from the Toronto area, some of whom grew up in his small Punjabi home village of Biaspind.

While in Toronto, Mr. Singh stayed with Mr. Dhindsa, who said the world record-holder has a laid-back, fun-loving personality: "I think he lives his life stress-free."

Mr. Dhindsa said Mr. Singh made use of his treadmill, but didn't eat much while preparing for the marathon. Sunday, he had some yogurt, toast and tea before the race. "He has a difficult time standing still. He's always on the move."

Amrik Dhinsa, 60, who lived in Mr. Singh's village but now lives in Brampton, Ont., said Mr. Singh's penchant for ginger curry was his secret of success. "That gives him lots of energy . . . and keeps his body warm," he said.

Bernadette Behnke, 36, who completed the marathon in about 6½ hours, got Mr. Singh's autograph after the race. "If I had done it [at his age], I wouldn't be smiling, signing autographs," she said.

Mr. Singh's pace-setter, Garry Kapitan, 54, said the 92-year-old took off at much faster than his planned speed, doing the first kilometre in five minutes and 52 seconds, instead of a slower 8:30. "I knew I was in trouble . . . I couldn't slow him down."

Eventually, he settled into a pace of about seven minutes a kilometre. "He was just unbelievable. I'm inspired by it."