The European 10km record on the women’s side fell for the second successive weekend as Eilish McColgan clocked 30:08 at the Valencia 10K Ibercaja on Sunday (11) morning.
Just seven days after Belgium’s Jana Van Lent won in Nice in 30:10 to break Paula Radcliffe’s long-standing record of 30:21 in a mixed road 10km, McColgan improved the record by two seconds to finish eighth in a race won by Kenya’s Brenda Jepchirchir in 29:25.
- Watch the race again in full here
"This is my first time in Valencia. I’ve heard some incredible things about the race and it was the first time I’ve raced with this many men around me. At no point at the race was I running solo and I’ve never had that before and I’m really happy with that today."
"It’s been a really tough three years for me. From setting a national record on the track over 10,000m, I’ve had knee surgery and it’s been a long process getting back to this fitness again. I was a bit rushed into the London Marathon last year so this year we tried to focus on getting my speed back," said McColgan.
McColgan now concurrently holds European 10km records in both a mixed race and a women’s-only race. The Brit set the latter record four years ago in winning the Great Manchester Run in 30:19 before spending a prolonged time on the sidelines with injuries which have halted her progress.
"I’m really proud of myself. Crossing the finish-line I was a bit emotional because it’s been a very long three years to get back to this level. It’s a really special race to be a part of.
"I don’t know how I’ve got to this age and never done Valencia before! I’d love to try and come back and have a go at running sub-30. I'd also love to come back for the half marathon and maybe even the marathon one day?" said McColgan.
Behind McColgan, Alex Bell continued her excellent transition to the long distances. The 2020 Olympic 800m finalist was the second European finisher in 11th in a lifetime best of 30:57.
Portugal's Mariana Machado also set a national record of 30:58 in 12th to become the first Portuguese athlete to break the 31 minute-barrier for 10km on the roads.
Tereza Hrochova also set a Czech record of 31:05 to finish 14th.
Full results here.
