Dharwad’s marathon runners to pay tribute to Fauja Singh today

Pic: Ashok Patil, founder-president of Fit Feet Dharwad, explains about Fauja Singh in view of the memorial run at RNS StadiumDharwad: Marathon runners, athletes, and sportsmen of Dharwad are all set to pay a rich tribute to Fauja Singh, a renowned British Indian marathon runner, by organising a memorial run at RNS Stadium here, on Sunday.Fit Feet Dharwad, a forum of like-minded marathon runners, has taken the initiative to pay tribute to Fauja Singh in a memorable way. They aim to encourage today's generation to take part in marathons and participate in sports activities to lead a healthy life by drawing inspiration from the life story of Fauja Singh. He proved to the world that nothing is impossible by breaking several records in marathon runs, starting his career in marathons as an octogenarian.Ashok Patil, founder-president of Fit Feet Dharwad, told TOI that Fauja Singh set a world record by starting his marathon career at the age of 89. "He won many national and international level marathon competitions and events. He beat several records and achieved feats that were not possible even for young people. He remained an inspiration for today's generation. Unfortunately, Fauja Singh, whom we fondly called Baba Fauja Singh, died in a road accident at the age of 114 a few days ago. To recall his contributions to marathons and shed light on his achievements, which have been an inspiration for all of us, we are organising a Memory Run. This event will include 3-hour long marathons and 1-2 hour medium and short marathons at the stadium to pay our tribute to the great soul," he said."Athletes, people working in different fields, and schoolchildren are expected to participate in the event. Despite the rainy season and cold weather, many have already shown interest in taking part in this event. After the events, we will have a function to discuss Fauja Singh's works," Patil added.Fit Feet Dharwad has taken up this initiative to educate today's generation about the importance of marathons to keep oneself healthy and maintain good fitness, both physically and mentally. "We will also organise weekend runs every Sunday in Dharwad and Hubbali, and all participants will run for hours in KUD, Agricultural College, IIIT, and other places. Interested people are free to join us," Ashok Patil said.