Eilish McColgan will never forget the moment she won the same Commonwealth gold medal as her mum did 36 years before, though Liz McColgan has said watching her daughter’s victory was “100 times better” than her own in 1986.
As the child of an athletics legend, McColgan never felt like she was running in her mum’s shadow. “I’ve always seen myself as different from mum, even if some people compare us,” said the 10,000m champion.
“It’s never been mum v me. She is such a huge part of my career that when I stand on the starting line I feel like it’s the two of us. When I was younger, I never thought I’d get to that level and, honestly, I probably didn’t believe I could hit the times that she did.”
Growing up in Dundee, McColgan was initially unaware of the extent of her mum’s success as a world and Commonwealth champion, Olympic silver medallist, and world record holder. “Young kids would come up to the house and ask for autographs but I didn’t understand why,” she said.
“It wasn’t until high school that I became aware of my mum as this athletics legend. I’m grateful for that because shielding me from her success ensured I chose running and athletics for myself. I think that’s why I am 31 and still in love with the sport.”
© PAThat is especially true of late given McColgan’s exceptional run of form that has seen her win a haul of medals and leave a string of British and world records in her wake.
She recalls feeling the roar of the crowd in Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium thrum through her body as she overtook Kenya’s Irine Cheptai in the last 200m of the 10,000m final at Birmingham 2022 in August. “I wanted it so bad,” said the elite runner.
“It’s a blur, it just happened so quickly. I had this overwhelming rush of emotions. The first thing I thought about after I crossed the line was to find my family. I wanted to see my mum, dad and Michael (her partner) as quickly as I could. To share that memory with my mum is pretty special.”
Last weekend, she closed out the most spectacular season of her career with a new British 10,000m record time of 30 minutes and 18 seconds as she stormed to victory at the Great Scottish Run in Glasgow.
Two days before, McColgan sat down with P.S. to reflect on a whirlwind season that saw her win four major medals within 16 days, including Commonwealth silver in the 5,000m and a further silver and bronze medal at the European Championships in Munich.
🏴 We’ll never let go of this moment.@EilishMccolgan @Team_Scotland #B2022 #CommonwealthGames pic.twitter.com/ov2PsQkyGt
— Birmingham 2022 (@birminghamcg22) August 4, 2022
She revealed she is already looking ahead to her next big challenge: slowing down on a week-long holiday in the Seychelles with her partner Michael Rimmer, a fellow runner with a silver medal at the 2010 European Championships among his honours.
“Switching off is not my forte. That’s probably my biggest downfall,” admitted McColgan. “I’m on the go all the time. Michael and I lead a very nomadic lifestyle, having spent the last 11 months living out of a suitcase.
“We’ve accepted that athletics is a relatively short career, so if it means we do this for the next five years or so before I retire, it’s worth doing and now we know it is paying off but it will be good to have one week where we can stop and actually relax.”
McColgan began running competitively at the age of 13, coached by her mum at Dundee Hawkhill Harriers running club. She made her Team GB debut in 2011, starting with the steeplechase, a discipline favoured by her dad Peter, who represented Northern Ireland in the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.
Yet she naturally fell into long-distance running and has since broken every record set by mum Liz, barring her impressive marathon stats.
With her mum now based in Doha, the capital of Qatar, where she has coached young athletes since 2014, the pair share coaching strategies and training updates remotely. “We’ve lived on different continents for the last eight years but we are still very close,” said McColgan.
“We speak every day and video call after every race. That relationship has definitely evolved over time but going from mum to coach was never a difficult transition. It’s all I’ve known my whole career.”
McColgan also feels lucky to have found someone who understands the dedication, commitment and sacrifice required to win big in athletics in Southport-born Rimmer.
“Michael is a huge part of my career and his support is why I’m going from strength to strength every year,” said McColgan. “I’m lucky that he gets it. People think it’s strange how much time we spend together but it’s like having my best friend with me every second of the day.”
Coming into her prime after over a decade of running professionally, McColgan is an example of commitment and perseverance paying off. Yet she finds the idea that people look up to her a somewhat humbling experience.
She said: “I never thought I would make the Olympic Games or win Commonwealth gold. It’s weird when I get girls and women tell me I’m a huge inspiration for them.
“I feel awkward because I feel it shouldn’t be me. It’s a strange feeling. I don’t think that will ever be real to me but it’s cool to have young kids look up to me.”
© SYSTEMThat’s why she is determined to set an example for Scotland’s next generation of athletes when it comes to issues affecting women’s participation in sport, such as body confidence and navigating the often toxic world of social media.
“As a kid I was always skinny and I felt like my body was like a little boy,” said McColgan, who still receives negative comments about her slender 5ft 11in frame. “It made me so unconfident at school because I didn’t look like the other girls. Many young girls tell me they feel the same.
“I get trolled every single day about how I look. People say I’m too skinny and a horrible role model. It’s become normal to me but it’s sad that this is how we accept what social media is like now.
“That’s why I’m vocal about it. I want young kids to see me happy and confident in my natural body. I didn’t have anyone to look up to like that until I joined the running club and met people who looked like me. When I put my running clothes on, I never thought about any of that. I was just there to run.”
The daily negative online onslaught that comes with being an elite female athlete could wear McColgan down but she has been able to rise above it thanks to the positivity and support she receives from fans.
“The thousands of lovely messages I receive far outweigh comments made by a couple of sad people sitting at home. I tell young kids that I actually feel sorry for the trolls because they are the ones who are unhappy and jealous of your success.”
McColgan has also been outspoken about the physiological barriers for female runners, including the trials of training and competing while menstruating. “I’ve had two or maybe three races now that I have dropped out of because of periods,” she said. “My legs feel like lead, my lower back aches, and I get really bad stomach cramps.
“I’ve tweaked my hamstring twice during my period, which could be more than coincidence. Now I avoid gym work when I’m menstruating but you can’t keep backing off every single month because you need to race.
“There is research being done but there’s many areas lacking that people are trying to get funding for. It’s good to know that people are working on answers but I think it’s going to be a long time before we have a solution that helps everyone.
“If it was a male concern it would probably have been addressed sooner.”
CONGRATULATIONS to Eilish McColgan as she crosses the #GreatScottishRun finish line!
AMAZING!! 🏃🏽♀️🙌 pic.twitter.com/9L7YXWvoe6
— Great Scottish Run (@GreatScotRun) October 2, 2022
McColgan says the next chapter in her career will play out on the road. Coached by a previous champion of the New York City, Tokyo and London marathons, McColgan is already on the right track.
“I’d like to break mum’s Scottish marathon record of two hours 26 minutes,” she said determinedly. “I will still like to be competitive in the 10k, Paris 2024 is a big goal for me but I think marathon is probably the next step in my career.
“My next chapter is on the road. I’m excited!”
Mum Liz blazed a trail
© PAEilish McColgan says trailblazers like her mum, who became 10,000m world champion in 1991 just nine months after giving birth to her eldest daughter, have paved the way for female athletes today.
“Things have evolved since mum was dropped by Nike after they found out she was pregnant with me,” she said.
“My contract with Asics has a pregnancy clause that states I will still be supported and funded. My mum never had that reassurance.
“She took a big risk but was one of the first to come back at elite level. She became world champion after having me, which had never been done before.
“Athletes like Eilidh Doyle and Lynsey Sharp have said that, because of what she achieved, they felt they could come back after having a baby. Running is my priority right now but I’d love to have kids one day, so it’s reassuring to know I can have a family and a career, like her.”
Like her mum, McColgan also sees herself moving into coaching when her competitive career ends. She has already proven herself capable through Running Made Easy, an online coaching business she set up with her partner to advise a small roster of runners of all ages and ability.
“I see why mum loves it and would like to go into coaching once I retire.”
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