At a fit 54, Jagjit Singh has not left any continent in the world where he hasn’t participated in a marathon, including the bone-chilling and brain-freezing sub-zero climes of Antarctica. Last week, he took a nearly 24-hour flight from London to Melbourne to participate in the Medibank Melbourne Marathon Festival on Sunday, October 14.
“I have been following in my father’s footsteps as he was a national rank holder in India’s cross country competitions. I started running 14 years ago and in 14 years, I have run for nearly 14,000 km,” says Mr Singh who says he can’t wait to don his running shoes this Sunday.
Along with having a full-time job as a manager in an in-flight catering business at London’s Heathrow Airport, Mr Singh is also a local politician there. “I am a sitting councillor in the Borough of Hillingdon in West London and I’m affiliated to the Labour Party. People of Punjabi origin are now coming up prominently in the local politics as well as the sporting arena of the UK, which gives me great pride as well as satisfaction,” says Mr Singh, who is serving his second term as a councillor.
He says his passion for marathons was sparked by the attacks on some Sikhs in the US following the 9/11 attacks.
Source: Supplied
“I felt the attacks [on the Sikhs] took place out of confusion with people of other faiths. So there was a need to spread awareness about Sikhism. Three of my New York-based Sikh friends and I teamed up and ran a marathon there wearing saffron turbans replete with a khanda (a Sikh article of faith) so that people don’t confuse Sikhs with others and accidentally harm us,” explains Mr Singh, who is a devout Sikh and has even unfurled the Nishan sahib (a saffron flag representative of Sikhism) to the far-flung South Pole in Antarctica, as part of a marathon.
“I’d be utterly wrong if I claim that it’s my hard work. It is only because of God’s blessings that I get the time and energy to run and spread awareness about the Sikh identity, especially our turban,” adds Mr Singh who emphatically states that he is a vegetarian and he wishes to dispel the myth that vegetarians can’t excel in sports.
A certificate presented to jagjit Singh after the Antarctica marathon. Source: Supplied
“All 10 Sikh gurus have advised us about the food we should eat and it is a vegetarian diet only that has been advised. I have a job, a family, I’m in politics, I participate in marathons which means I travel a lot and also do fundraising: who says vegetarians can’t be strong?” asks Mr Singh, making a reference to the various charitable organisations he is associated with.
He is an ambassador for Roko Cancer which works on cancer research and aid in India and also raises funds for 'Get Kids Going' which works towards promoting sports amongst disabled children in the UK.
With the purpose of spreading awareness about the Sikh identity and raising funds for the needy, Mr Singh has also participated in an interesting marathon titled 7 Days, 7 Continents.
“This marathon was organised in a way to spend a day in each continent. We completed it in a record 6 days, 23 hours and 38 minutes. I could see instant results of my efforts in this marathon as the security staff at an Italian airport, who asked me to remove my turban when I set out for the event, saw my interview on national TV on my way back, and said ‘Sir, I’ve seen you on TV’,” said an emotionally-charged Mr Singh.
Mr Singh has also participated in marathons with the legendary British centenarian runner, Baba Fauja Singh. The details of all his running outings are maintained on a very aptly named website, www.marathonsingh.com.
Jagjit Singh with Baba Fauja Singh and another marathoner. Source: Supplied
To listen to this interview in Punjabi, click on the player at the top of this page.
