Marathon record back in family 'special' for McColgan

Eilish McColgan is delighted to get the family name back in the record books after setting a new Scottish best for the marathon in London on Sunday.

McColgan, 34, finished eighth, crossing the line in two hours, 24 minutes and 25 seconds, which beat Steph Twell's mark of 2:26:40 set in Frankfurt in 2019.

Her mother and coach Liz McColgan ran London in 2:26:52 in 1997, having won the event the year before.

"It's really special," the younger McColgan told BBC Scotland.

"My mum was really happy. Ultimately, we thought there would be a little bit more there. The goal for me was always a sub two-20. I feel I can run that sort of time.

"But it's my first run. It was completely unknown. I think she was just happy to see the record go back into the family name.

"I've broken every one of my mum's personal bests now. The majority of those were British records. They switched to Paula Radcliffe and I've switched them back.

"It's quite surreal to think that's even possible, mum and daughter so many years apart."

McColgan has silver and bronze medals at European level over 3,000m, 5,000m and 10,000m and won 10,000m gold and 5,000m silver at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

However, her focus is now on marathon running after a promising debut in London.

"This is me now for the last chapter of my career," she said. "I'm fully committed to the next four-year cycle, particularly with the Los Angeles Olympics coming up in 2028."

Reflecting further on her experience over the weekend, she added: "It was a really tough second half for me, with the temperatures starting to rise, but the support around the course really helped.

"Pacing is important. The elite women's field is very small, so I ran 24 miles completely solo. The mental challenge of that is quite draining too."