The Mature Runner – No, Not Another Singh!
By David Summerfield
It might seem I’m obsessed with really “old” people doing amazing running exploits. Well, I AM, and I figured out why. You see, I’m NOT in the “really old” people category … yet, and the farther that milestone is from my age (okay, it’s the “over 100 years old” category I’m talking about) the longer I have to really get in shape and finally get into the World’s Whatever Category and be recognized by the Guinness people. There. That was pretty easy to admit, so now we can move on.
It seems the Singh family name is destined for greatness – in record books, in various outlandish athletic accomplishments. And before I go any further, I found out a 5-year-old boy (Budhia Singh) ran from Puri to Bhobaneswar, a mere 65 km (40 miles) in seven hours, two minutes. He became an overnight sensation, and spawned a movie about him (Born To Run). That year (2006) he ran 48 marathons, and then the authorities stepped in and enrolled him in a school and have kept him from competing. It’s quite a story. His father died when he was two, his mother sold him to a traveling salesman…who did not treat him well, so his mom asked a local Judo coach and owner of an orphanage to buy him back – and this man started training him right away. Having done something wrong, the little boy was punished by having to run…which he did nonstop for over five hours. Of course the coach realized his skills, and the story got very involved!
Okay, on to the next Singh:
Gharam Pal Singh Gudha. By now he must be around 124 years old, and lives in Gudha, India. The websites I’ve visited make him out to be devoid of ego, extremely poor and loves to run. He cannot provide a birth certificate – they weren’t being made when he was born, he didn’t go to school and other credible documents were of no interest to him as he grew up. His family was farmers, basically living off the land. He naturally became a farmer as well, mostly taking care of cows. One website said this:
“Gudha claims to have been born on 6 October 1897, comes from the village of Gudha in Meerut, and is a farmer by profession. He claims to have been running since he was a teenager.”
“When I was young, I used to run from my village to the neighboring village, which was about 600 to 700 meters away. I would run several laps. I did not know how to run then, the technique of it, but I did it on instinct,’ he says. He gets up at 4 a.m. and runs four kilometers daily. He takes part in Inter-State level races for Veterans in the 100, 200- and 400-meter categories. To date, Gudha has taken part in more than three dozen races in different parts of the country.”
“Gudha has lost count of the number of marathons that he has run. However, he recollects running at marathons in Allahabad, Nainital, Uttarakhand and Chandigarh, and claims to have run in 50 others. He states that he ran his first marathon in 1970.”
“In 2017, National Geographic did a special episode in their Explorer series investigating his life and success as a runner in such an advanced age.”
“When asked about his continued fitness, he says it is all about having a controlled diet. He has led a strict healthy lifestyle since childhood and gives credit to his balanced diet of self-prepared chutney along with mineral water and lemon juice for his longevity. ‘I eat a strict and balanced diet and have no illness. I stopped eating ghee and other fatty items almost 40 years ago, neither do I drink or smoke,’ he said. He has been a strict vegetarian since birth.”
An American film director, David Freid, has made a documentary on DharamPal Singh Gujja, The Never-Ending Marathon of Mr. Dharam Singh, in 2017. He traveled to India and Nepal to interview Singh. He mentions that Singh’s supporters include some who have been medically treating the runner for quite some time with homeopathic remedies, some of which are spiritual. In the interview Singh said he practices yoga and meditation, and that his diet consists of “a concoction that I make from leaves from various plants and trees.” He goes on to say he forages in order to make a vegetarian chutney”, and “he believes his healthy lifestyle enables him to continue his international athletic exploits.” He further says “I am running to bring pride to India…I run in the streets of the village and the kids run along with me. As long as I’m alive, I will keep running. I’ll run until I die.”
I have to admit that my sources seem to use different names for him, from Dharam to Gharam, or Gujja to Gudha. Anyway, I believe this is all the same person. My take on the Indian runner? I like him a lot. I watched a film of him removing his usual white cotton tunic with a long scarf, and donning a Nike type synthetic top. You know he always runs in sweltering heat! He has remained as a cow-herder in his village, and doesn’t seem to be doing this to work his way out of the Indian “slums” (as they are always referred to).
He does accept donations which allow him to travel to competitions, but since he can’t produce a valid birth certificate, he remains “under the radar” by the media. Frankly, I can sense a hint of disbelief that someone in such normal shape, unaffected by the usual disabilities associated with people over 100, that it must be a mistake, and he’s lying. I want to believe that what he’s doing is totally possible. However, it looks like there’s a price to pay here … hmmm … lemon water, chutney and leaves. Where are you on food, oh you Mature Runner you? My biggest concession lately was using whole-wheat pasta last night. Whoopdeedoo! Oh, and whole-wheat toast to hold my peanut butter and honey. And I’ve stopped putting salt and sugar in my oatmeal. But the quantity of food is astounding by comparison.
Oh, and I’ve moved out of Bozeman to lead a more simple life, does that count? It’s not that I’m trying to see how long I can live, but I want the body that can keep going down the road by my own power. And, I really don’t want to live on a farm in India. Overlooking the Beartooth Mountains is just fine for me 🙂
