Ed Whitlock has new goal: Return in 20 years for a sub-8 marathon
Ed Whitlock had a nice run Sunday morning in Toronto — a 3:15:54 marathon at age 80, his latest WR. But he was overshadowed by a guy in another age group. M100 Fauja Singh finished 26.2 miles in something over 8 hours. His final time wasn’t officially recorded. So get ready for the final indignity — no world record recognition. But Singh’s last official split, at 35 kilometers, was 6:25:46. Here’s what one report said of Ed, meanwhile: “Much like he did with his age-class competitors, Ed Whitlock left his old world record in the proverbial dust this morning at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. Decimating the 3:25.40 finish he delivered this past spring in Rotterdam, Milton’s ageless wonder set a new world marathon record in the 80-and-over division — completing the 42.2-km course in a cool 3:15:54.”

Ed seems a little peaked at the end. Take a break, stud. You didn't get IAAF Best Master of 2011, but you got the ink.
Here’s how CBC reported Singh’s M100 record:
Fauja Singh secured a spot in the Guiness World Book of Records on Sunday at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon.
The 100-year-old accomplished an amazing feat, completing the gruelling 42.195-kilometre marathon and becoming the oldest person ever to complete a full-distance marathon.
It took Singh over eight hours to cross the finish line — more than six hours after Kenya’s Kenneth Mungara won the event for the fourth straight year — and he was the last competitor to complete the course. But his time wasn’t nearly remarkable as the accomplishment itself.
“Beating his original prediction, he’s overjoyed,” said coach and translator Harmander Singh. “Earlier, just before we came around the [final] corner, he said, ‘Achieving this will be like getting married again.’
“He’s absolutely overjoyed, he’s achieved his life-long wish.”
Although event workers dismantled the barricades along the finish line and took down sponsor banners even as Fauja Singh made his way up the final few hundred metres of the race, a throng of media, family, friends and supporters were there when Fauja Singh made marathon history.
And Fauja Singh, who only speaks Punjabi, also surprised himself. Through his interpreter, he said he had set a goal of finishing the race in about nine hours.
“He said he achieved this through the help of God but even God must be getting fed up of helping him,” Harmander Singh said, drawing chuckles from assembled media after the race.
Sunday’s run was Fauja Singh’s eighth marathon — he ran his first at the tender age of 89 — and wasn’t the first time he set a record. In the 2003 Toronto event, he set the mark in the 90-plus category, finishing the race in five hours 40 minutes and one second.
And on Thursday in Toronto, Fauja Singh — whose first name means soldier — broke world records for runners older than 100 in eight different distances ranging from 100 metres to 5,000 metres.
Fauja Singh, a five-foot-eight, 115-pound British citizen and vegetarian, looked tired and spent following the race and organizers gingerly assisted him to the post-event news conference. After receiving gentle massages to his legs and calf muscles as well as cups of water from members of his entourage, Singh leaned back on a couch and spoke little to start the news conference.
But a short time into it, he began looking remarkably relaxed and fresh with his hands clasped behind his head. Then, he abruptly sat up straight and with a smile, motioned for the microphone, obviously getting his second wind.
“He says he’s recovered now so he’s going to talk,” his translator said, again drawing laughter.
Fauja Singh, affectionately dubbed the Turbaned Tornado, began running roughly 20 years ago after losing his wife and child. The five-foot-eight centenarian said he’s happy to see more minorities taking part in such marathon events and is hopeful his next project will be participating in the torch relay for the 2012 London Summer Games.
Fauja Singh carried the torch during the relay for the 2004 Athens Games.
Race director Alan Brookes struggled to find the right words to describe Fauja Singh’s remarkable accomplishment.
“I’m speechless,” he said. “Fauja Singh is a remarkable human being.”
9 Responses
Beautiful stuff. This cat does some steady motoring. Congratulations, Eddie. Keep it rolling, pal. Smartty
Truly amazing stuff from both Mr Whitlock and Mr Singh! Inspiring indeed -y’all showed us what ‘really old’ (what I’ve often been called at age 68) people can do! -Grant Lamothe
Amazing, but I am sure he wants to run it in less than 3 hours. It just might happen.
I would just like to say.
Ed ??? your fan tas tic !
Sub 3 hours 30m for the marathon is totally excellent.
beat my time i posted in 1980 at the age of 24.
Well done mate,keep it going.
Cheers,Eric Smart 100/200m U.K sprinter.
Not sure what his goal is at 100, but looking ahead a decade it is a sure bet he will be running under the current record. I bet he is close to 4 hours 15 minutes at age 90! It is rare to live to 100 even if you are as healthy as Ed but of course we wish him the best. The life expectancy of a 90 year old is another 5 years and only a 2.5%-3% chance of making it to 100.
Ed Whitlock now has a Facebook fan page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ed-Whitlock/173894359360701?sk=info
Rob Dods created it. He wrote me:
Today I woke up and decided to make a Facebook page for Ed Whitlock, I´m hoping it can be a place where people celebrate this very inspirational person.
Also: I wrote to Doug Smith in Canada, asking how he confirmed Singh’s age of 100 (born on April Fools Day 1911, it turns out). Doug replied:
Hi Ken,
I just looked at his British passport.
I didn’t require a copy – as I just filled out the record applications as the Meet Director.
I believe the applications have to be submitted by his national association – the British Vets….so the onus is on them to verify his age – but a passport would be sufficient for any Canadian record we were submitting for one of our members.
Well clearly Ed’s record RUN at 3 hours at age 80 is clearly lite years ahead of Singh who I totally realize is 100 and just stepping on the road is amazing in itself, but reality is over 8 hours. 8 HOURS which translates to 3 miles per hour or a 20 minute mile which clearly is a WALK…people it’s a WALK..mind you a 26 mile walk for a 100 year old is amazing….BUT IT IS NOT A RUN, NOT A RUN…it is a walk..Period. End of story…
You would think that someone who had the ability of Ed W.- IF they could actually make it to 100 would certainly run about 5 1/2 hours just comparing it to a 3:15 at age 80. That is almost 70% slower.
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