McColgan eyes Great North Run after marathon debut ‘relief’

Following her debut of 26.2%, Eilish McColgan plans to start training for her first marathon in September with the Great North Run.

The 34-year-old completed the London Marathon last month by finishing eighth, becoming the first British woman to cross the line.

McColgan, a four-time Olympian in the middle distance, says it was “a bit of a relief” to put her first marathon to the end, surpassing mother Liz’s previous national best by more than two minutes over Steph Twell’s Scottish record.

When asked about her recovery, she responded, “It has taken me a good three weeks.” The first week was a real struggle, with stairs and up and down stairs not the simplest.

McColgan wants to go under 2:20, which she believes is required to compete at the global level after crossing the finish line in 2 hours, 24 minutes, and 25 seconds.

She said, “I wasn’t sure how I would recover, so I didn’t schedule anything after that.” “London was the main priority,” she said. Knowing that, okay, it wasn’t great, my first one, I felt tough, I felt like I struggled, but I did so and kept coming.

“The Great North Run, a half marathon there in September, might be the one I want to do next.”

McColgan is unsure whether her next marathon will feature a faster pace from male competitors or “do I go more tactically like New York” as she prepares to do so.

She described the London Marathon as “quite nerve-wracking” because it was her “baptism of fire” competing in a well-known event with female champions from the distance.

She liked the “that buzz you get” from having fans yell her name all the way around the course, and she feels qualified to go that distance as she prepares for the upcoming Olympics.

For me, McColgan continued, “This is undoubtedly a new chapter.” “I always believed that I would run the marathon one day, but I’m arriving there later than I had anticipated.”