Imagine a normal afternoon in a suburb of Delhi. Retired men congregated in parks, chatting about their pains and the careers of their kids, taking midday naps after lunch, and then spending their evenings in front of the TV.
For people over 60, society has prescribed a routine: slow down, settle in, and let the younger generation take over.That memo was not received by Mahipal Singh. Or rather, his doctor gave him another one.
A reminder following diabetes
After serving in the Indian Navy and managing a business for many years, Singh was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2021 at the age of sixty.It was the kind of news that transforms everything it touches, including habit, energy, food, and the perception of what is still achievable. A diagnosis such as this marks the end of one chapter and the start of a more cautious life for many.
It turned out to be the beginning of something quite different for Singh, who is now 65.He started jogging out of need rather than happiness or desire. His blood sugar needed to be controlled, and his body needed to be managed. The reasoning was simple: move, and move consistently.
He had learned the importance of showing up every day, whether he felt like it or not, from the Navy for years, and retirement had not eliminated that instinct—rather, it had left it waiting for something to do.

By all accounts, the early days were ordinary. There were no medals, no stopwatch, and no crowds. On the streets of Ghaziabad, a sixty-year-old guy was walking one foot in front of the other.
However, his diabetes was under control in a matter of months, and his endurance gradually increased. And somewhere in that mounting pile of early mornings, Singh started to realise that he was becoming proficient at something rather than just managing a condition.
After competing in one race, he entered another. He started going to open marathons, national competitions, and city championships all around the nation.When he entered the 60-plus division of masters athletics, he found a whole new world of competitiveness that most people are unaware of: one in which age is merely a bracket rather than a disadvantage and where the podium is completely real.
He frequently stood on podiums there.Mahipal Singh went to Dubai for an international competition in 2023, two years after his initial hesitant kilometres through Ghaziabad. He competed in the 1,500, 5,000, and 10,000 meters in the 60-plus division. In all three, he came in first.

He has participated in more than 150 marathons and currently has about 200 medals and 50 trophies. In his age category, he also owns national records.