For many years, 'Sikh Superman' Fauja Singh, a marathoner from Punjab, was an inspiration for the fitness-conscious tribe across the globe. The 114-year-old Indian runner, who debuted at marathons at the age of 89 in the London Olympics in 2000, passed away on Monday, July 14. As per reports, he was struck by an unidentified vehicle while crossing the road in the evening, and died later in a private hospital. Following his death, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on his social media page that the runner inspired India on the very important topic of fitness. "He was an exceptional athlete with incredible determination. Pained by his passing away," Modi wrote on his page. 

Numerous records in his name
At the age of 100, Fauja Singh became the oldest person to complete a full marathon when he finished the 2011 Toronto Marathon. The man, who couldn't walk before the age of five and couldn't even attend school due to ill health, has been a sugar cane farmer. In 1995, he moved to London with his children and took up running as a hobby, though he was in his mid-80s. At the 'prime' age of 88, he ran his first 20km run. In 2001, when he was 90, Fauja Singh set a record at the London Marathon as the oldest runner. In 2008, he even carried the Olympic Torch through Athens as part of the 2008 Summer Olympics. Frankfurt, Glasgow, Tokyo, Toronto, Mumbai, London, New York... many cities have hosted runs of the 'Turbaned Tornado' who inspired runners across ages to keep fit. 

How he stayed fit
Whenever asked about the secret to his fitness, he used to credit his vegetarian diet, water, ginger tea, Punjab special snack 'alsi bhinni' made of flax seed, and yoghurt. Phulka, lentils and green vegetable stir fries were also part of his regular diet. Interestingly, the man never liked to sit! Once, he famously said that sleeping well, walking and running are the main reasons of his stamina. 
'Fauja Singh' has more than 10K search volume in the past 14 hours on Google Trends. 

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