Slick
Guru
Whilst 2023 was a tough year for Eilish McColgan, she would get my vote. Watch her story on the I Player if you get a chance, tough girl.
2022
In February, the Dundonian set a new British record in the 5 km road race, clocking 14:48 in Dubai to break the mark of 14:51 set by Paula Radcliffe in 2003. McColgan bettered her mother's unofficial 14:57 from 1991, and was only four seconds short of a European record.[32] Later that month, she beat Radcliffe's 21-year-old British half marathon record by 21 seconds, in a time of one hour six minutes 26 seconds, improving her mother's best yet again (1:07:11).[33]
Eilish McColgan on her way to a new Scottish 10,000 m record at the 2022 FBK Games in Hengelo
In March, McColgan launched a non-profit organisation Giving Back to Track with her partner Michael Rimmer with the aim to encourage young people to get involved in athletics and to fund the next generation of female athletes.[34][35]
In May, she broke Radcliffe's European 10 km record at the Great Manchester Run in a time of 30 minutes 19 seconds, shaving two seconds off the previous marker set by Radcliffe in 2003. McColgan finished second behind only Hellen Obiri who set the course record of 30:15.[36] In June at the FBK Games in Hengelo, she set a new Scottish 10,000 m record of 30:19.02, beating the time set by her mother at the same venue in 1991.[37]
After experiencing some health problems before the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon in July, McColgan finished there 11th in the 5000 metres and 10th over the 10,000 metres.[3][38]
On 3 August, the 31-year-old claimed the first major title of her career as she won the gold medal in the 10,000 metres final at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Her winning time of 30:48:60 was a new Games record, breaking her mother's 32-year mark. Thus, she completed the family hat-trick as her mother won over the same distance at Commonwealth Games Edinburgh 1986 and Auckland 1990.[39] McColgan later added silver in the 5000 metres, which marked Scotland's 500th overall medal at the Commonwealth Games.[40]
The Dundonian continued her outstanding season at about a week later securing two additional medals at the European Championships Munich 2022. First she won a silver in the 10,000 metres (behind Yasemin Can), and added bronze for the 5000 metres three days later (behind Konstanze Klosterhalfen and Can), becoming the first British distance runner to compete in six championships outdoor finals in the same season.[41][42][43]
In September, McColgan set a course record and the joint-fourth fastest women's half marathon in British history at the Big Half in London with a time of 67m 35s. She improved the previous best mark by more than two minutes.[44]
She had to withdraw from the 2022 London Marathon due to 'rebound hypoglycemia' refuelling problems.[45] McColgan apparently improved by a second her own European 10 kilometres record, which she set earlier that year in Manchester, when winning at the Great Scottish Run in Glasgow in October.[46][47] However, the record set in Glasgow was invalidated when it was found that the course was 150 m short.[48] In November, she set a new British record in the 15 kilometres with her fourth-place finish in a time of 47:40 at the Zevenheuvelenloop in Netherlands, breaking her mother's official record of 47:43.[49]
2023
On 4 March, after five weeks of altitude training in Colorado, McColgan broke Radcliffe's 21-year British 10,000 m record by 0.23 s with a time of 30:00.86 at the Sound Running The TEN in San Juan Capistrano, California. In Europe only Sifan Hassan had run faster.[50][51] On 2 April, the Scotswoman chopped 43 seconds from her British half marathon record set 14 months earlier, clocking the second-fastest female non-African mark in history of 1:05:43 for a win at the Berlin Half Marathon. She became the first British woman to win the competition.[52] Later that month, she again missed her debut over the classic distance in London Marathon due to a knee injury.[53]
2022
In February, the Dundonian set a new British record in the 5 km road race, clocking 14:48 in Dubai to break the mark of 14:51 set by Paula Radcliffe in 2003. McColgan bettered her mother's unofficial 14:57 from 1991, and was only four seconds short of a European record.[32] Later that month, she beat Radcliffe's 21-year-old British half marathon record by 21 seconds, in a time of one hour six minutes 26 seconds, improving her mother's best yet again (1:07:11).[33]
Eilish McColgan on her way to a new Scottish 10,000 m record at the 2022 FBK Games in Hengelo
In March, McColgan launched a non-profit organisation Giving Back to Track with her partner Michael Rimmer with the aim to encourage young people to get involved in athletics and to fund the next generation of female athletes.[34][35]
In May, she broke Radcliffe's European 10 km record at the Great Manchester Run in a time of 30 minutes 19 seconds, shaving two seconds off the previous marker set by Radcliffe in 2003. McColgan finished second behind only Hellen Obiri who set the course record of 30:15.[36] In June at the FBK Games in Hengelo, she set a new Scottish 10,000 m record of 30:19.02, beating the time set by her mother at the same venue in 1991.[37]
After experiencing some health problems before the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon in July, McColgan finished there 11th in the 5000 metres and 10th over the 10,000 metres.[3][38]
On 3 August, the 31-year-old claimed the first major title of her career as she won the gold medal in the 10,000 metres final at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Her winning time of 30:48:60 was a new Games record, breaking her mother's 32-year mark. Thus, she completed the family hat-trick as her mother won over the same distance at Commonwealth Games Edinburgh 1986 and Auckland 1990.[39] McColgan later added silver in the 5000 metres, which marked Scotland's 500th overall medal at the Commonwealth Games.[40]
The Dundonian continued her outstanding season at about a week later securing two additional medals at the European Championships Munich 2022. First she won a silver in the 10,000 metres (behind Yasemin Can), and added bronze for the 5000 metres three days later (behind Konstanze Klosterhalfen and Can), becoming the first British distance runner to compete in six championships outdoor finals in the same season.[41][42][43]
In September, McColgan set a course record and the joint-fourth fastest women's half marathon in British history at the Big Half in London with a time of 67m 35s. She improved the previous best mark by more than two minutes.[44]
She had to withdraw from the 2022 London Marathon due to 'rebound hypoglycemia' refuelling problems.[45] McColgan apparently improved by a second her own European 10 kilometres record, which she set earlier that year in Manchester, when winning at the Great Scottish Run in Glasgow in October.[46][47] However, the record set in Glasgow was invalidated when it was found that the course was 150 m short.[48] In November, she set a new British record in the 15 kilometres with her fourth-place finish in a time of 47:40 at the Zevenheuvelenloop in Netherlands, breaking her mother's official record of 47:43.[49]
2023
On 4 March, after five weeks of altitude training in Colorado, McColgan broke Radcliffe's 21-year British 10,000 m record by 0.23 s with a time of 30:00.86 at the Sound Running The TEN in San Juan Capistrano, California. In Europe only Sifan Hassan had run faster.[50][51] On 2 April, the Scotswoman chopped 43 seconds from her British half marathon record set 14 months earlier, clocking the second-fastest female non-African mark in history of 1:05:43 for a win at the Berlin Half Marathon. She became the first British woman to win the competition.[52] Later that month, she again missed her debut over the classic distance in London Marathon due to a knee injury.[53]
