Who is Eilish McColgan
The short answer
Eilish McColgan, born in 1990 in Dundee, Scotland, is a British distance runner. She won Commonwealth 10,000 m gold in 2022, holds British records on the road including the half marathon (1:05:43), and opened 2026 with European and British 10K records in Valencia. She is coached by her mother, Liz McColgan.
Eilish started in the steeplechase before moving to the 5000 m and 10,000 m. Her mother Liz won the 1991 world 10,000 m title and the 1996 London Marathon, and has coached her for most of her career. Eilish made her marathon debut in London in 2025 and ran it again in 2026, finishing seventh. A toe injury after London kept her out of the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
How she trains
- Threshold-heavy weeks. Long intervals and tempo runs around half marathon and 10K pace form the core.
- Altitude blocks. Training camps at altitude before key races.
- Strength and conditioning. Gym work is a regular part of the week.
- Marathon adjustments. More volume and longer long runs since moving up, built on the same threshold base.
