Fagan triumphs with excellent Boston run

Mullingar athlete Martin Fagan looks set to stick to his decision to not run in the ING New York Marathon on November 7, despite battling a injury to romp home to victory in the Boston Athletic Association Half Marathon.At the end of last month, the Mullingar Harriers man announced that he would pull out of the line-up of international athletics stars putting their names forward for the New York Marathon.He cited ongoing problems with an Achilles' tendon injury as a reason for his withdrawal, as well as an intention to concentrate on the forthcoming European Cross Country Championships in Santry this December.The injury, which forced him to drop out in the middle of the recent Great North Run in Newcastle, has plagued him in recent times, most notably during the mens' marathon final at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.Nevertheless, with the Europeans in mind, the Arizona-based runner - who finished Sunday's race in Boston in a time of 1:02:21 - is bouncing back, and hopes to tackle the Great South Run in the UK later this month.Fagan, who is the national half-marathon record holder, finished Sunday's race around the streets of Boston and Brookline, Massachussetts, three seconds ahead of Kenya's Philemon Terer.The Mullingar man bypassed the Kenyan in the final 100m stretch, and finished just one second outside the course record set by another Kenyan, Tom Nyariki, in 2007.Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner this week, the Olympic distance runner's mother, Marie, said that her son's win in Boston has given him a "terrific boost" after a string of recent disappointments.Fagan is the second Irishman to win the BAA Half Marathon, and picked up a bourse of $5,000 for his effort.