By Jane Nambi

Fauja Singh is 101 years old and was named the world’s oldest marathoner by the  Guinness Book of World Records in 2011.

However, after the Hong Kong Marathon on Feb. 24, he will retire, Singh announced.

Singh is an Indian-born Brit. He gained international attention when he started running marathons aged 89-year-old. He has run for nearly 13 years. He usually dresses up in a distinctive yellow turban and long beard and was nicknamed the “Turban Tornado” for being too fast, at least in his age bracket.

Singh set race records for his age group when he was in his nineties and in 2004 carried the torch for the Athens Olympics. He competed in the Toronto Marathon at age 100 and credits his success to a healthy lifestyle. He does not smoke or take alcohol and is a vegetarian. His coach, Harmander Singh talked of Singh’s accomplishments after he won in Toronto saying, “He said he achieved this through the help of God, but even God must be getting fed up with helping him.”

Although he will be retiring, he does not intend on giving up on the sport completely; he plans on a lighter daily routine, just eight to nine miles of running a day. “I will keep running to inspire the masses,” he said. “Running is my life and I really would not have stopped competing if I had not crossed the age of 100.”