For two decades now, Great Britain's Eilish McColgan has been competing in athletics, and she shows no signs of slowing just yet.
With a Commonwealth 10,000m title, three European medals on the track as well as the European 10km record on the roads, it is clear that McColgan is a special type of athlete, or maybe even one of a kind.
Running in the DNA
Well, we say one of a kind, but the first thing you absolutely need to know about McColgan is that her mum, Liz, is the 1991 10,000m world champion, two-time Commonwealth champion, and won three of the marathon majors in London, New York and Tokyo.
But McColgan has only gone and beaten her mum’s records, and continues to improve on the roads which she only committed to recently. Her father Peter McColgan was also an international class runner, representing Great Britain in the 3000m steeplechase at the 1991 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Travelling? Disney here we come
As an athlete she has, of course, travelled all over the world, but she hasn’t let her athletics dreams stop her from enjoying her time abroad.
Impressively, McColgan has been to five out of the six Disney locations across the world (California, Florida, Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong) with just Shanghai to tick off her bucket list!
Supporting grass roots athletics
With partner, Olympic 800m runner Michael Rimmer, she has created a not-for-profit organization to support the development of athletics. Giving Back to Track assists female athletes, female athletics coaches, athletics clubs and schools in Scotland.
McColgan versus...Hodgkinson?
McColgan might be preparing for her second marathon in the London Marathon in late April but her range is such that she has previously raced against reigning Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson over 800m.
The pair faced off over two laps of the track in a domestic meeting in Manchester in 2020. At 18, Hodgkinson won convincingly in 2:04.17 but McColgan did set a lifetime best of 2:08.11 for the distance.
Where it all began
McColgan’s journey began with her competing in high jump and the pentathlon as a 12-year-old, never imagining she would become a record breaking distance runner.
She knows she wouldn’t have dreamt about it because she’s kept training diaries since her multi-event days, and told The Athletic: “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be running 26 miles for fun.”
Can't always take the scenic route
In October 2024 while in New Delhi for the half marathon, McColgan had to take interesting measures to make sure she got in her 30-minute run after realising the gym was closed and it was dark outside.
Instead of giving in and relaxing, she ran laps around the hotel corridors!
Fearless body positivity campaigner
She is a strong advocate for body positivity and pushes back on social media trolls trying to body-shame her on social media. “The reason I call it out is so people don’t think that is how they have to look to be an athlete. It is dangerous for people to see comments like that and think that is how you have to be,” she said.
Breaking Christmas tradition
Christmas day for McColgan is usually a rest day or very light run, however this Christmas she trained twice due to her upcoming race plans!
She did a 12 mile run followed by 60 minutes on the cross trainer, before tucking into Christmas dinner.
Magic of Mount Fuji
Last year in April McColgan’s partner Michael Rimmer proposed to the Scotswoman with the beauty of Mount Fuji as their backdrop.
Rimmer was also an athlete, winning silver over 800m at the Barcelona 2010 European Athletics Championships, and competing in three Olympics where he reached the semifinals of Beijing 2008 and Rio 2016.
Marathon debut after years on the tracks
Having spent years on the tracks racing over increasing long distances, McColgan made the commitment after the 2022 Commonwealth Games and European Athletics Championships to move to the roads.
She was targeting London for her Marathon debut in 2023, but due to injuries she was unable to make that transition until 2025, where she ran 2:25.25 and placed eighth.
Commonwealth Games heritage
Her rousing 10,000m gold at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games was the iconic victory of her career, winning a the same title her mother won in both 1986 and 1990.
She was also sixth in the women's 3000m steeplechase at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and with the event returning to Glasgow in 2026, she might become one of the few athletes to compete at a home Commonwealth Games twice.
It is therefore apt that her international debut came at the Pune 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games, where she placed eighth in the 3000m.