The report this week begins with a very inspirational person. The running world was saddened to learn of the death of Fauja Singh this week; the world’s ‘oldest’ marathon runner at 114 years old. Singh, a global icon, set records by running marathons across multiple age categories, including when he was over 100. He began running at 80 and ran nine full marathons between 2000 and 2013, when he retired. Singh was a torchbearer for the 2012 London Olympics. However, his claim of being the world’s oldest marathon runner was not recognised by Guinness World Records as he could not show a birth certificate from 1911.Birth certificates were not produced in India at the time Singh was born. However, his British passport showed his date of birth as being 1st April, 1911, and that he had a letter from the Queen congratulating him on his 100th birthday. World Records can only accept official birth documents created in the year of the birth.
As a young boy growing up in Punjab, Singh was teased by people in the village as his legs were weak and he could not walk properly until the age of five. After the death of his wife, Singh moved to London to live with his eldest son. Here he met a group of elderly men who would go on runs together with the man who would become his coach, Harmander Singh. Singh shot to fame when Adidas signed him up for their 2004 Impossible is Nothing advertising campaign, which also featured legends such as Mohammed Ali. Singh credited his health and longevity to a simple lifestyle and disciplined diet. “Eating less, running more, and staying happy – that is the secret behind my longevity. This is my message to everyone,” he said in June.
Parkrun was the only opportunity last weekend for runners to stretch their legs. Ian Orton chose to run at Arrow Valley, crossing the finishing line in 23:16. . Beacon Park, Lichfield was the choice of Garth Cox, 24:01 and Roger Lloyd 24:59. George Hope completed Bunbury, Cheshire in 26:38. Joanne Sharman and Stephanie Attenborough once again dedicated their weekend to parkrun. Their parkrun of choice was Eastville, Jo finishing in 49:06 and Steph 49:07. Jo and Steph then volunteered at junior parkrun,Yatton Rec, Bristol. Kingsbury waterpark is always a popular choice – Mike Shelton led the pack in 21:13; followed by Sophie Galloway 24:47; Tracy Ford 25:53; Darren Truman 27:52; Sarah Boffey 29:55; Jo Insley 30:46; Alison Upton 34:17; Jacqueline Tierney 53:18 and Stephen Andrews 57:07. Michael Hughes completed the course at Nostell, nr Wakefield in 49:38. Lee Rickards was first over the line at Tamworth in 18:27; Chris Bennett 23:29; Samantha Futrill 23:38 and Allen King 49:28; The Plens, Desborough. saw Tim Mudd achieve a time of 28:52. Ben Dorkins ran at Trentham Gardens in 24:55. Michael Stevenson ran Warwick Racecourse in 39:33 and finally Emma Pick completed Woolacombe Dunes in 22:52.
The club continues to grow its members, particularly after the completion of the C25k course. Those that completed the course have now progressed to the Bridge to 10k. This is still open to non-members who wish to progress their running ability. Please refer to our social media for more information.
Although it was a quiet race weekend, several members were out pounding the streets training for marathons later this year. There will always be a Peeler out running somewhere!