By Sharon Ginn, Globe Correspondent, 10/14/2002

Well past the point he usually stops running, David Hinga decided to speed up instead - which was bad news for the rest of the men in yesterday's Boston Athletic Association Half-Marathon.

Hinga, a late entrant who rarely runs races longer than 5 miles, blasted from a five-man pack in the eighth mile, giving him a lead in the 13.1-mile race that even second-place finisher Ryan La Fleur of Boston couldn't challenge. Less than a week after returning to training after a bout with chicken pox, Hinga finished the course in 1 hour 9 minutes 47 seconds, 22 seconds ahead of La Fleur.

Hinga, an eight-year Lowell resident and native of Kenya, was joined in the winner's circle by Sarah Nixon of Medfield, who had little trouble defending the women's title despite a late challenge by Wilmington's Simonetta Piergentili. Nixon finished in 1:22:34, more than a minute off her time last year but enough to win by 39 seconds.

It was the second running of the BAA Half-Marathon, which kicked off at Roberto Clemente Field in the Back Bay and wound its way through the neighborhoods of the city's Emerald Necklace park system. Organizers added a popular twist this year for the more than 4,000 entrants: Thanks to the cooperation of the Red Sox, part of the route included a run through Fenway Park, with the 1-mile marker in front of the Green Monster.

That was an early highlight in a long, mostly uphill trail through Olmsted Park, past the Arnold Arboretum, and to Franklin Park, where the runners passed through the Franklin Park Zoo on their way back to the Fens. That's where the light mist turned to a steady drizzle and Hinga, 26, started pulling away.

For 7 miles, five runners - including last year's champion, Wayne Levy of Newton - had acted like ''nobody wanted to take it,'' La Fleur said. ''Then [Hinga] made a move and it was over.''

''I was pretty comfortable,'' said Hinga, who entered the race Friday, after the chicken pox had kept him out of a race the previous weekend. ''I just wanted to have a good tempo run. I'm not worried about winning,'' he said.

Levy finished fifth, behind Michael Richardson of Providence and Seth McClennen of Newton Highlands. Four-time Boston Marathon winner Bill Rodgers, 54, finished 11th in 1:16:03.

Nixon, 38, said while her schedule hasn't permitted a lot of serious training, there was no way she wasn't going to enter the race this year. ''Last year was the highlight of my life,'' Nixon said. ''Cutting BAA tape [as the winner] is unbelievable.''

Piergentili was her only serious challenger, closing the gap to a few seconds around the 10-mile mark before Nixon pulled away. The rest of the women's field finished at least five minutes behind.

Tim Kelly of Weymouth repeated as champion in the men's wheelchair division, finishing in 1:06:51.

For most entrants, the most memorable segment was the one that took them through Fenway Park. Runners passed through the center-field gate, then took a lap around the perimeter of the field before exiting.

''Being a Red Sox fan, it was a neat thing to do,'' La Fleur said.

''I got goose bumps,'' Piergentili said. ''I touched the Wall. A lot of people touched the Wall.''

This story ran on page C13 of the Boston Globe on 10/14/2002.