New York, Sep 22, 2004
IANS
An ad featuring British Sikh Fauja Singh who runs marathons
in spite of being a nonagenarian will make its North American debut
on the route of the Toronto Waterfront Marathon.
The ad shows a runner in mid-stride, training for his
next marathon, and reading, "Fauja Singh: Age 93/Champion International
Marathon Runner/Father of Six/Grandfather of 13... Vegetarian".
Singh will be competing at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon
Sep 26.
Singh rediscovered his passion for distance running
at the age of 81 and even now shows no signs of slowing down. He has
joined forces with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
to caution Asians and others about the perils they face if they clog
their arteries with meat.
The ad made its Scottish debut along the route of the
2004 Great Scottish Run Aug 22 in which too Singh took part.
Singh, who finished ahead of his age group at the New
York Marathon last year, was honoured with the Ellis Island of Honour
for his feat. He is the only non-American to be so honoured in the history
of the prestigious award.
Apart from congressional awards, the Ellis Island Medals
of Honour are the only awards recognised by Congress.
Singh also has other distinctions. Along with British
soccer superstar
David Beckham, Singh appears in Adidas ads. He is indeed the oldest
person Adidas has ever used in an ad.