Best foot forward as 97-year-old man completes 10km race

Published on Sunday 7 September 2008 22:20

AT THE age of 97, Fauja Singh is an unlikely poster boy in the battle to encourage people to take more exercise.

But as he crossed the finish line after a 10km race in Glasgow yesterday, he issued a rallying call to couch potatoes and gym-dodgers nationwide: "If I can do it, anyone can do it."

Indian-born Mr Singh was among almost 20,000 runners taking part in the freshnlo Great Scottish Run events, which also included a half-marathon and junior 3km race.

After crossing the line, Mr Singh, who took up the sport aged 89, joked: "It was a walk in the park."

Along with a group of runners from the Scottish Sikhs, Mr Singh completed the 10km event in 76 minutes and 14 seconds.

A vegetarian and a teetotaller who lives in London, he said the key to his success was positive thinking. He added: "It is good for your health. It allows me to focus on the positive and run away from people who are not positive and it doesn't cost anything."

Mr Singh, who has completed seven marathons, was joined by 78-year-old Amrik Singh from the East End of Glasgow.

He has competed in more than 500 races since starting to run competitively in 1984, and said he had no intention of stopping now.

"I run ten miles every other day and run shorter distances the days in between," he said. "Seventeen members of my extended family are also runners so I have helped encourage them and hopefully other people as well."

Yesterday's half-marathon was won by Emmanuel Mutai from Kenya in a time of one hour, one minute and ten seconds.

The women's race was won by Wokknesh Tula of Ethiopia at one hour 11 minutes.

The fastest Scot was Robert Russell, from Auchterarder, who crossed the line in one hour, five minutes and 22 seconds.

The men's 10km was won by Murray Strain from East Lothian with a time of 32 minutes and 22 seconds, with Lindsay MacNeill of Renfrew the fastest woman at 35 minutes and 53 seconds.

Several major charities benefited from the event.