Fauja Singh British Marathon Runner

Fauja Singh: Driven by Charity
During this phase of running Fauja was spotted by the giant sportswear company, Adidas. They offered him a handsome amount to become their brand ambassador for a campaign they were launching in London. The temptation was great and why not? For a man who sustains himself on old age pension, this windfall gain was a welcome one. Fauja, who had started enjoying running for charities and felt that his ‘Waheguru’ had made him run for a specific purpose, took the offer, albeit with the condition that Adidas transfer the money to a charity of his preference. The contract was signed on 17 October 2003 and so one fine morning, London was up for a pleasant surprise!

Massive billboards carrying Fauja’s images could be seen all over the beautiful city. Via Fauja, the company was promoting the tagline: ‘Impossible is Nothing’. The London Evening Standard reported the development with a headline ‘The new face of Adidas, 93′. The report quoting an Adidas spokesperson said, ‘Fauja is the oldest runner in the race and every time he runs a marathon, he seems to be getting quicker. That fitted in perfectly well with what our campaign is about. He truly is remarkable. Everything we give him, he gives to charity.’ That is entirely true. Fauja has never taken any earning home and donates everything to various charities. In 2014 when the dairy giant, Nestle India wanted to use him as their brand ambassador for the January 2015, Mumbai Marathon, all proceeds they offered were directly transferred to the bank account of the Pingalwara charity in Amritsar. It was a substantial amount, a vindication of Fauja Singh’s commitment towards the less privileged. ‘God has given me everything. If I get greedy, he will take away everything, because he has sent me for a purpose,’ said Fauja while sipping a banana milkshake during one of his several conversations with me.

Oh boy! Does he love his milkshakes, which takes us to the vital question: What does this old man eat and drink that keeps him going?

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