Eilish McColgan: ‘I can’t stop others cheating, but at least I can look my family in the eyes’

Marathons are notoriously unpredictable beasts and McColgan’s debut was no different. Within a mile of setting off from Blackheath, she found herself alone, separated from the rest of the elite women. What came next was 25 miles of solo running.

“I hadn’t mentally prepared for that,” McColgan said. “It’s a long way to keep slogging on your own but the crowds were incredible. If I had been anywhere else in the world, I don’t know if I would have got to the finish line.”

For McColgan, the focus in London was to complete the race. She prepared for the marathon in “safe mode”, as she was recovering from knee surgery.

“I could not take the risk of something happening again where I pick up an injury and miss it for the third time. Mentally, I would really have struggled.”

She finished as the fastest Brit in two hours 24.25 minutes, and eighth place overall. It was an admirable run from an athlete whose marathon debut was hotly anticipated given her host of British records over shorter distances. Despite having competed in the 10,000m at the 2024 Paris Olympics, her focus is currently on longer distances and she will not be participating at the World Athletic Championships next month. Instead she will line up for the Great North Run two weeks today.

There is one specific time that all British female marathon runners are aware of. Paula Radcliffe’s marathon record of 2:15.25 was set at London in 2003, and lasted as the world record for 16 years.

“If you had asked me a couple of years ago about the record, I would have said no chance [of breaking it]. But I would have said the same about Paula’s half-marathon record, and her 10,000m record.

“Once you start breaking those, you begin to think ‘Why not?’ I think I can get back to the level I was at pre-knee surgery, and see if those times are possible.”

The question of what times are possible in women’s marathon running has been a controversial one in recent months, following Ruth Chepngetich’s provisional suspension after testing positive for the banned substance hydroclorothiazide. Chepngetich had smashed the women’s world record at the Chicago Marathon in 2024 when she ran 2:09.56. She had been due to run this year’s London Marathon but withdrew.

“When I stand on the start line now, I honestly just think about my own performance,” says McColgan, who is a Science in Sport ambassador. “When Ruth ran that 2:09, I got a lot of comments on social media where people would say ‘You’re useless’ and ‘How can you be an elite athlete?’ I ignore it all because I think I’m doing my absolute best.

“If I run as best as I possibly can, knowing that I’ve done it in the safest way I can as a clean athlete, that’s all I can do.

“Why am I going to worry myself or stress out about other athletes who are taking short cuts? I can’t control them. I can’t stop them from cheating. I can’t tuck them in bed at night and tell them to be good.

“But at least I can sleep at night. I can look my family in the eyes. Those things are important to me.”

Family has always been central to McColgan’s career given her mother Liz’s past as an elite long-distance athlete and former 10,000m world champion in her own right. In fact, McColgan has spent much of her time chasing her mum’s own records, and when she lines up at the Great North Run on 7 September, she will hope to match Liz by winning the race.

Some children might find the long shadow of their parent’s achievements hangs over them, but McColgan takes strength from it.

“My mum is a completely different athlete to me,” she says. “A different era, a different generation.

“It’s never been something that bothers me because I’m incredibly proud of what my mum has achieved. She went from nothing to building herself to be one of the fastest women in the world. She’s a huge inspiration to me. It’s hard to explain when I’m on the start line, it’s almost like she’s with me. ”

McColgan has also been outspoken about her experiences with online abuse, particularly as it relates to her body image.

“Sadly it has become part and parcel of being a female athlete,” she says. “I try not to shy away from it, because I know a lot of athletes come offline around competitions. They don’t want to read the negativity that’s on there. But these comments aren’t my reality, and actually they don’t affect me.

“This is my natural body. I’m never, ever going to look like a Kardashian. I’ve been a beanpole my whole life. When I was younger at school, I remember wearing baggy clothes to try and hide myself.

For McColgan, it is key that young girls who are getting into the sport recognise how important it is to look after their bodies, regardless of how they look.

“I wouldn’t be where I am now at the age of 34, having competed in this sport for two decades, if I didn’t look after my body correctly,” she says. “You only get one body, and it’s the thing that’s going to allow you to have longevity within the sport.”

That is crucial for an athlete like McColgan, who has plenty more records she wants to chase down.

Photograph by Tim Clayton/Getty Images