Author Simran Jeet Singh
Illustrated by Baljinder Kaur.
While Fauja Singh was born determined, he was also born with legs that wouldn’t allow him to play cricket with his friends in his village in Punjab or carry him to school. All his life, people tended to set limitations on him. He wouldn’t ever walk, or be able to farm. No one could ever imagine that he would run marathons.
The limitations put on him early in life, did not prevent him from reaching his full potential, in fact they seemed to drive him to strive harder.
So much so that he never stopped striving. At the age of 81, one would think…the end of a lifetime… Fauja Singh moved to be closer to his children who had moved to the UK. Scared and lonely in this new country where everyone spoke English, he took to running after watching a race on TV.
He enjoyed the sensation and although people would laugh at him, a turbaned old man running and running, he kept going. Running brought a smile to his face and running outdoors reminded him of his childhood in Punjab. But more that that, Fauja enjoyed a challenge and pushing the limits. So, he trained hard and decide to run his first marathon, the full 26.2 miles. Fauja Singh never looked back.
He is the oldest man over 100 years of age to ever participate and complete a marathon. This is a joyous, exuberant book, with moving evocative illustrations. A wonderful true story about a life, its beginning, and most importantly its journey. The foreword written by Fauja Singh, encourages children to lead a healthy lifestyle and to seize the opportunity of a challenge when it comes their way.
.Love the two different endpapers at the front and back of the book.