World's oldest marathon runner completes last race
Londoner Fauja Singh, 101, runs 10 kilometres as part of annual Hong Kong Marathon
The man known as the world's oldest marathon runner ran his last long distance competitive race in Hong Kong on Sunday.
At age 101, Fauja Singh finished the Hong Kong marathon's 10-kilometre event with a time of one hour, 32 minutes and 28 seconds.
Singh, a Sikh, wore a saffron turban and sported a flowing white beard.
In total 72,000 runners took part in Sunday's marathon, which featured a full 42-kilometre run, a half marathon, a 10-kilometre leg, a half marathon wheelchair race and a three-kilometre wheelchair race.
The Indian-born runner said earlier in the day he would hang up his running shoes after the race in the southern Chinese city.
Toronto race at age 100
When Fauja Singh turned 100, he became the oldest full marathon runner after he finished the Toronto Waterfront Marathon..
However, he was not granted a Guinness World Record as he was not able to show his birth certificate, according to his coach.
Following the race he said the running makes him feel good.
"I am feeling very happy about the race, every time I run I feel so fresh," said Singh.
Singh said he would miss running in competitive races but he would run again for charity if he is needed.
By the time he completed the race on Sunday, he had already raised 160-thousand Hong Kong dollars (20,500 US dollars) for the marathon and he was targeting to raise 200,000 Hong Kong dollars ($25,600 US) this year.
Singh, who lives in London in the U.K., said before the race that he was happy he was retiring at the top of his game.
Singh took up running at the age of 89 as a way to get over depression after his wife and son died in quick succession in India.
The death in 1994 of his son took a particularly hard toll on Singh because of its grisly nature. Singh and his son, Kuldip, both farmers, were checking on their fields in the middle of a storm when a piece of corrugated metal blown by the wind decapitated Kuldip in front of his father's eyes.
In 2000, he ran the London marathon, his first, and went on to do eight more. His best time was 5 hours and 40 minutes at the 2003 Toronto marathon.
Singh became the oldest full marathon runner after finishing the 2011 Toronto marathon when he turned 100.
But his feat was not recognised by Guinness World Records because he doesn't have a birth certificate to prove his age, only a passport.
Singh decided to end his running career in Hong Kong because of the publicity he received when he ran there in 2012.