No stranger to the elite US circuit, Martin Fagan took an enormous 20 seconds off his 10,000m PB when he finished eighth in the 10,000m at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational meet in Berkeley, California on Friday 24th April. As an indication of the quality of the event, before the race the World's best this year was 28:24.10, and the first 15 finishers all beat that time, and six of the top eight set new PBs.

Martin’s time of 27:58.48 was well inside the “B” standard for the World Championships in Berlin this August. Only 6 Irish men have ever broken 28 minutes for 10,000m and Martin’s performance firmly establishes him among the very best distance runners that Ireland has ever produced. Although already a qualifier for the marathon in Berlin, will Martin try to close the 11 second gap to the “A” standard and qualify for the 10,000m too?