British-Indian marathon runner Fauja Singh has died after being hit by a car in the Punjab village he was born in.
Tributes have been streaming in for the world’s oldest marathon runner, who took up the hobby late in life at the age of 88.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called him an "exceptional athlete with incredible determination".
British MP Preet Kaur Gill shared a photo of herself with him on X, writing: "A truly inspiring man. His discipline, simple living, and deep humility left a lasting mark on me."
Saddened to hear about the passing of #FaujaSingh
— Preet Kaur Gill MP (@PreetKGillMP) July 14, 2025
I had the honour of meeting him. A truly inspiring man. His discipline, simple living, and deep humility left a lasting mark on me.
A reminder that age is just a number, but attitude is everything.
Rest in power, legend. 🏃♂️ pic.twitter.com/y61rW4v6Hj
Here’s a closer look at the man who inspired and helped many throughout his life.
Who was Fauja Singh?
Singh gained worldwide fame by completing nine full marathons between 2000 and 2013.
He retired in 2013 at the age of 102, but continued to run on a more casual basis, continuing to run his running club and charity, Sikhs In The City in Ilford, East London. The group is now planning to dedicate its upcoming events to his memory.
In his later life, he split his time between London and India, but continued to run or walk several miles right up until the end.
Taking up running at the age of 89, Singh accomplished many milestones throughout his life, including being a torchbearer at the 2012 London Olympics.
He was also the first centenarian to complete a full marathon in 2011 in Toronto.
While his activity in his later years was an inspiration to many, his claim of being the world’s oldest marathon runner was not officially recognised by the Guinness World Records.
This is because Singh couldn’t produce the required birth certificate from 1911, despite his British passport showing his date of birth as April 1, 1911 and the fact that India did not make birth certificates at the time Singh was born.
Guinness World Records officials said at the time that they would have loved "to give him the record" but their hands were tied because they couldn’t "accept official birth documents created in the year of the birth".
In his early life, Singh remembered being teased as a boy in Punjab for having weak legs. He couldn’t walk properly until the age of five.
Although he would gain fame later in life, Singh’s youth was not filled with sports or running. He never went to school or got involved in sports, spending his life as a farmer in the field instead.
He first came to running to cope with grief after losing his wife, Gian Kaur, and his eldest daughter in 1992, follow by his son in 1994.
While grieving these losses, Singh had moved from India to London to be near his eldest son, Sukhjinder.
This is when he met his future trainer, Harmander Singh, and a group of other men running. They spurred him on to take up the sport himself.
"Had I not met Harmander Singh, I wouldn't have got into marathon running," he said in June, as reported by the BBC.
That in turn led to Singh making his debut at the London Marathon in 2000, when he was 88 years old.
Running for BLISS, a charity that supports premature infants, Singh took to the marathon with the slogan: "Oldest running for the youngest! May they live as long as him."
Singh later said that, before the run, London Marathon officials told him he could only wear a patka, rather than the Sikh turban he wanted to wear.
"I refused to run without my turban,” he said. “Eventually, the organisers allowed me to run with it, and for me, that's my biggest achievement.”
He finished the 2000 race in six hours and 54 minutes, beginning the start of his marathon legacy.
His wider fame outside of running circles really began when Adidas signed him for its 2004 Impossible Is Nothing campaign, where he appeared alongside icons like Muhammad Ali.
Singh would later be recognised by world leaders, having an invitation from Pakistan's prime minister to participate in the inaugural Lahore marathon and another from Queen Elizabeth II to visit Buckingham Palace.
The runner openly credited his long life to his lifestyle and healthy diet, as well as his running.
How did he die?
Local police report that Singh was crossing a road in the village where he was born in Punjab, India, when an unidentified vehicle hit him.
Although he was taken to hospital, Singh died from the hit and run incident, which took place on Monday, July 16.
"A search is underway, and the accused will be caught soon," said Harvinder Singh, a top district police officer in the region.
His death was confirmed to the public by Harmander Singh, Fauja Singh's coach at Sikhs In The City, sharing a statement posted to the running club.
"It is with great sadness that we can confirm our icon of humanity and powerhouse of positivity Fauja Singh has passed away in India,” it reads. "His running club and charity Sikhs In The City will be devoting all of its events until the Fauja Singh Birthday Challenge on Sunday 29 March 2026 to celebrate his life of success and achievements.
"We will be doubling the efforts to raise funds to building the Fauja Singh Clubhouse on the route in Ilford where he used to train."
Fauja Singh’s family life
Fauja Singh was born the youngest of four children to a farming family in Punjab.
In a marriage with Gian Kaur, Singh had six children. His eldest daughter died from complications in childbirth the same year as his wife did, in 1992.
Just two years later, Singh returned to India to visit his son, Kuldip, the only remaining child who hadn’t emigrated.
He witnesses Kuldip be decapitated in a construction incident. The traumatic event would be what sparked him to take up running.
Singh also had three granddaughters.
How many marathons did Fauja Singh run?
Singh completed nine full marathons, although none of them were ratified as records due to the lack of birth certificate.
His personal best time for the London Marathon came in 2003, with a time of six hours and two minutes. In addition, his marathon best, claimed for the 90-plus age bracket, was five hours and 40 minutes, completed at the age of 92.
In 2013, he took part in his final competitive race in Hong Kong, completing a 10km run in one hour, 32 minutes and 28 seconds.
