74-year-old Charlottetown man takes 151st marathon in stride

Francis Fagan was congratulated on running his 150th marathon Sunday on P.E.I.

Or was it his 151st?

"Actually it's 151st," he said in an interview after crossing the finish line at the Prince Edward Island Marathon.

"But you know, no problem, 150 is good."

Whatever the number, it seems impressive for a 74-year-old, who finished the 42.2- kilometre race in just over three hours and 57 minutes.

But Fagan remains humble.

'Not that big a deal'

"It feels great, but I know lots of people who have got probably over [200-300]marathons, so it's not that big a deal."

Fagan, who is from Newfoundland and now lives in Charlottetown, took up running when he was 42.

His first marathon was on P.E.I. He's since competed in Ireland, Scotland and several times in the Boston Marathon.

"I like the challenge, that's why I like to do the marathon," said Fagan, whose goal was to finish in under four hours.

"It's a great challenge and it's great to be out running with friends, but it's also great to be on your own."

He said he trains all year, running about 65 kilometres a week. He said he'd like to complete 200 marathons, but figures he'll be in his 80s by then.

So what's next for Fagan?

"152," he said without hesitation.

Christopher Coupin of Toronto finished first among the 222 marathon competitors Sunday in a time of 2:43:08. Lindsay Lamrock of Suffolk, P.E.I., finished second overall at 2:45:44, and first among all women.

Counting the marathon, organizers say 2,943 peopleparticipated over the weekend, in the10K run/walk, 5K run/walk, 2K wheelchair, Kids Fox Trot, team relay, half marathon run/walk, and 16K run/walk categories.