Evan Fagan’s path to the 2022 Boston Marathon was anything but straightforward.
Fagan, MCAS ’22, started running in the fifth grade. Fagan’s school offered soccer and cross country in the fall, but Fagan said when he discovered that he was horrible at soccer, he decided to pick up running instead.
For Fagan, running serves as a stress reliever and a fun diversion.
“I just find it honestly relaxing,” Fagan said. “Most people would disagree with that, but my favorite part is to go out on long runs and clear my head. It’s really peaceful.”
Toward the end of his freshman year at Boston College, Fagan’s club running teammates coaxed him into training for a qualifying race for the 2020 Boston Marathon. After a summer of training, Fagan qualified for the eventually canceled marathon, but his 2020 qualification entitled him to run in the 2022 marathon.
Fagan’s training for the 2020 marathon consisted of him running up to 80 miles each week, but Fagan said he sustained an injury to his foot, which kept him from running for a year.
Due to his injury, Fagan said his training in the fall of 2021 was slower than in 2020. During a half marathon in fall 2021, Fagan said he sustained another injury to his knee, pushing his training back even further.
Ultimately, Fagan said his knee held out for the marathon. Fagan credits the help of Club Sports Athletic Trainer Dawn Purington with his recovery and said his knee did not bother him during the marathon.
“Dawn is so helpful,” Fagan said. “If I had not gone to see her after that marathon, I’d have been screwed.”
For Fagan, the challenging moments in his running career prepared him for other hurdles.
“The general idea of going through a hard time and pushing through it and knowing that with enough hard work, you can hopefully make it out on the other side, definitely helps me with school and job searching,” Fagan said. “It might be tough now, but if you just push through it and keep working, hopefully you can make it through.”
