100-year-old athlete Fauja Singh, who got into the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest marathon runner in the world, shared the secrets of his longevity. He advises to always think positively; don't try to change what you can't change; exercise and eat right.
Fauja Singh, a 100-year-old former Indian farmer, entered the Guinness Book of World Records by running the Toronto Marathon in 8 hours 25 minutes and 18 seconds, becoming the oldest athlete to complete the distance.
Fauja Singh moved to London to his son in 1992 from the Indian village of Jalandhar, having buried his wife in his homeland. The lifestyle of British peers surprised Farugia: "Most of the older people here eat fatty foods, hardly move, stay at home and travel by car - it is not surprising that they do not feel healthy."
The record holder said that he fell in love with running while working as a farmer in the Punjab province, but only became seriously interested in sports when he moved to the UK half a century later. Just in order not to sit at home doing nothing, Fauja began to run, not at all thinking of competing with anyone. Later, he was lucky to meet coach Harmander Singh, with whom he started running seriously. At that time he was 89 years old.
Under the guidance of Harmander, Fauj Singh prepared for the 2000 London Marathon and ran it in 6 hours and 54 minutes. Over the next 10 years, he set 12 world, European and British records. At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, he was honored to take part in the delivery of the torch to Mount Olympus. That same year, the elderly marathon runner became the face of an advertising campaign for Adidas running shoes named after him.
Fauja gives all the funds received for his victories to charitable organizations. He says that since he cannot take the money into his next life, it must be distributed to those who need it in this one.
Such an unusual athlete admitted that the key to the fact that he easily runs 16 kilometers a day during his daily workout is that he eats a lot of ginger and curry, and also drinks a lot of tea throughout the day. He does not drink alcohol for a long time and does not eat meat, but dine exclusively with vegetables.
Staying in shape also helps Singh, a good mood: “I go to bed early, repeating the name of my God, because I don’t want to let negative thoughts in myself,” says Singh. At the same time, the long-lived record holder is sure that it is necessary at any age to avoid stress, which is very harmful to health. “If there is something you cannot change, then why bother with it? Be grateful for everything you have, stay away from negative people, smile and keep running,” he advises.
He believes the secret to his longevity lies in his ability to be happy, think positively, help others by doing charitable work, and avoid junk food.
Despite being born on April 1, 1911, Fauja Singh insists his age is not an April Fool's joke. He is indeed 100 years old and in good health.
When asked about the marathon, Singh replied, “The first 20 miles is not difficult. As for the last six miles, I'm running and talking to God."
When asked about his plans, Fauja Singh replies: "I will not stop running as long as I live." “If someone tells me that I should stop running, I simply ignore this advice, since the speaker is usually much younger than me,” he says.
Today, the 100-year-old runner prepares to take part in the Olympic Torch Relay, which runs from May 8 to July 27, 2012, and became the first person to sign up for the 2012 Edinburgh Festival Marathon, where he will have to run 42 kilometers.
Fauji Singh's 5 recipes for happiness:
1 To be happy, first of all, you need to have a big heart.
2 Positive thinking and the company of people who are passionate about something and want to move forward is what keeps me strong and makes me happy.
3 I accept with gratitude and humility everything that is sent to me by God.
4 Most UK pensioners do not follow a diet and travel by car, which makes them sick, infirm and unhappy. I'm not ready to sit still. It's killing me. So I run, always smile and eat a lot of ginger and curry.
5 I don't think of myself as an old person. As soon as I allow myself to look at myself as an old man, I will lose everything. Age is just in the head. Positive thinking makes everything possible.
GBUZ of the Arkhangelsk region "Arkhangelsk center of medical prevention"
On the twenty-fourth of February, the oldest marathon runner in the world, Indian Fauja Singh, took part in a sports competition for the last time. In April of this year, the famous athlete will turn one hundred and two years old.
1. Every year Hong Kong hosts the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon. It was in this sporting event that Fauja Singh took part for the last time. He covered the ten-kilometer distance in 1 hour 33 minutes and 28 seconds.
2. An elderly athlete originally from India, but now lives in London. He has many world records in the age categories "90 years and older" and "100 years and older."
3. Among athletes, Fauja Singh is known as the "tornado in a turban." The elder is not at all offended by such a nickname.
4. For the first time, Fauja Singh took part in the marathon 12 years ago. He competed in the Olympic torch relays in Athens and London.
5. Unfortunately, the oldest marathon runner is not listed in the Guinness Book. Since he did not have any official documents confirming the date of birth.
6. Although Fauja Singh will no longer take part in sports competitions, he is not going to give up his daily fifteen-kilometer run.
7. A man came to the world of sports after the death of his beloved wife and son. Now he is more than anything afraid that after the end of his sports career, people will forget about him.
8. In one of his interviews, the athlete said: “Old people are like children. They always want attention and love.
Fauja Singh, a hundred-year-old marathon runner from India, was until recently considered the oldest athlete in the world. In February of this year, he ran his last marathon during the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, held annually in Hong Kong. Fauja Singh covered the 10-kilometer distance in 1 hour 33 minutes and 28 seconds.
The husband began to engage in sports after his family died - his beloved wife and son. At first he just ran, but later decided to participate in a marathon. Fauja Singh gained general fame after the organizers of the Olympics drew attention to him, who allowed him to participate in the race with the Olympic flame during the summer games in Athens. In London, the oldest athlete and marathoner also participated in the torch race, but these are not his only achievements.
An elderly athlete is the owner of a large number of various world records. However, in the Guinness Book of Records, the name of the old man as the oldest athlete in the world is not mentioned. “Tornado in a turban”, such a nickname was given to Fauja by journalists, did not save the first official documents that could confirm the date of his birth, this information was not preserved in the archives either.
Although the old athlete no longer plans to participate in sports, he is not going to give up his daily 15-kilometer run just yet.
Fauja has been living in London for a long time, he is used to the constant attention of the press and ordinary people. After celebrating his 102nd birthday in August 2013 and hanging up his sneakers, the old man is worried that people will quickly forget him -" Old people, like little children, constantly want love and attention..»
● Oldest Marathon Runner - Fauja Singh ●
He is already 100 years old, and he still continues to run and has an excellent physical shape. In 2011, Fauja Singh entered the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest marathon runner, running a full marathon at the age of 100.
Over the past 10 years, he has set 12 world, European and British records. At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, he was honored to take part in the delivery of the torch to Mount Olympus. That same year, the elderly marathon runner became the face of an advertising campaign for Adidas running shoes named after him.
Since the mid-1990s, he has been living in the London Borough of Ilford. The Hindu, talking about his secrets of a long-liver, claims that he simply loves sports so much that he does not miss a single workout.
He developed a particular passion for sports at the age of 89, since then he has run 7 marathons and signed up for the 2012 marathon in Edinburgh. There, the oldest athlete will need to run 42 km.
Most people dream of buying a car, but this Hindu does not recognize any restrictions on the body, continues to move, and thus managed to be cheerful and energetic at such an advanced age.
He runs 16 km a day, eats some vegetables with ginger and curry once a day, drinks some tea. In an interview, he said that he was amazed that his British peers lead a sedentary lifestyle, eat fatty foods and attribute their poor health to age. Now Fauja Singh has moved to London, he continues to be cheerful, positive, helps people and does not eat junk food. His date of birth is April 1, 1911. The Hindu believes that you should not worry about trifles and experience stress. “If there are things that you cannot change, stop worrying about them,” says Fauja Singh, “Enjoy life and avoid bad people.”
● 5 recipes for happiness from grandfather Fauja:
1. To be happy, you first need to have a big heart.
2. Positive thinking and the company of people who are passionate about something and want to move forward - that's what keeps me strong and makes me happy.
3. I accept with gratitude and humility everything that is sent to me by God.
4. Most UK retirees do not follow a diet and travel by car, which makes them sick, infirm and unhappy. I'm not ready to sit still. It's killing me. So I run, always smile and eat a lot of ginger and curry.
5. I don't think of myself as an old person. As soon as I allow myself to look at myself as an old man, I will lose everything. Age is only in the mind. Positive thinking makes everything possible.
How many people can boast of having received a place in a museum during their lifetime? Units.
And among them is 86-year-old Vladimir Nikiforov, a resident of the city of Morozovsk and since last year its honorary citizen.
All the awards of Vladimir Nikolayevich were placed in the museum of the city house of culture: 110 medals, 31 cups, more than 300 certificates, letters of thanks and diplomas. And that's all for running.
For some, jogging is a hobby, for some it is a healthy lifestyle, and for Nikiforov it is a severe necessity. At the age of 50, doctors found a school physical education teacher with coronary heart disease and banned exercise.
In the Kislovodsk sanatorium, a wise doctor told Vladimir Nikolayevich that with such a sparing regimen, with such a disease, he would last a maximum of ten years. And advised to run.
The first kilometer was the hardest. Every day, in the heat and frost, Nikiforov began to run 5-10 kilometers. A year later, I forgot about ischemia. He completed his first marathon distance at the age of 70, in 1996.
Five years later, Vladimir Nikolayevich participated in the International Peace Marathon, from where he came with a medal and a diploma. At the next International Marathon, a resident of Morozovsk joined the ranks of 1148 runners from 50 countries, including the USA, Germany and Japan. He was 12th in his age group with a time of 5 hours 14 minutes 55 seconds.
At the age of 77, Nikiforov participated in the Space Marathon in the city of Korolev and the 23rd International Peace Marathon. Here he turned out to be the oldest and earned the honorary title "The oldest marathon runner in the world."
It would seem, much more? But in the same 2003, Vladimir Nikolaevich in his native Morozovsk became a participant in the ultra-marathon race for 55 kilometers.
In total, he has about 40 marathons to his credit. And only an accident stopped the tireless runner: he broke his leg, the bone healed incorrectly, and now he cannot withstand long-term running loads. Marathons had to be abandoned, but the athlete runs his five kilometers jogging, if not every day, but quite often, several times a week.
He does not want to give up ischemia. Vladimir Nikolayevich is warming up before a run. For example, 50 push-ups. Not bad for a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, for whom the main holiday, after Victory Day, is August 12, Athlete's Day.
Our hero still has a II disability group. Before the 85th anniversary, Vladimir Nikolaevich came to the social security and asked to take it off. Like, uncomfortable, a healthy person is legally disabled. Moreover, as a veteran of war and labor, he receives a decent pension. But the officials laughed and explained that the group is for life.
And then Vladimir Nikolaevich found a place in the museum. In addition to medals, cups, certificates in his corner there is also a 200-page booklet called "My sports life."
Nikiforov is now a living legend. The total weight of his medals is three kilograms 200 grams. Valery Vakula, Minister for Physical Culture and Sports of the Rostov Region, recently visited Morozovsk to personally meet an unusual person.
Vladimir Nikolayevich does not consider himself a living exhibit. If a short-distance running competition, up to ten kilometers, is held in a city or district, he will definitely take part in them. And often travels outside the region. Running in foreign territory is also useful. It is necessary to replenish your corner with new medals and cups. Vladimir Nikiforov (third from left) is the oldest long-distance runner.
