Press Release - London Marathon - 9/2/22

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

     Eilish McColgan delays TCS London Marathon debut until April 2023

              The Commonwealth Games gold medallist withdraws         
                       from 2022 TCS London Marathon         

Eilish McColgan has opted to delay her marathon debut by seven months and 
race the 2023 TCS London Marathon, rather than this year's event on Sunday 
2 October.

McColgan's preparations for the 2022 TCS London Marathon have been 
complicated by her reaction to taking on fuel during long practice runs.

The issue has been identified as rebound hypoglycemia, which leads to 
reduced blood sugar levels and means there is not enough glucose in the 
blood to meet the body's needs.

The issue is not uncommon in endurance athletes and McColgan and her team 
are working with sport scientists to find a solution. 

However, McColgan has acknowledged that time has run out to be ready for 
this year's TCS London Marathon on Sunday 2 October and has revised her 
plans so she will make her debut at the 2023 TCS London Marathon on Sunday 
23 April instead.

McColgan, who will be racing The Big Half in London this Sunday, said: "I 
am, of course, extremely disappointed not to be racing this year's TCS 
London Marathon, which was very much part of my plan for 2022. But when I 
do race my first marathon I want to be in the very best condition.

"When we started preparing for London earlier this year, it was clear 
something wasn't right on my long runs. Refuelling in a marathon is such an 
important part of the race to get right, so I have been practising this 
during my long runs and very quickly I've been experiencing spells of 
dizziness that have really affected me.

"I was relieved to learn it is not uncommon in athletes. I'm grateful to 
have a really supportive team around me who are working to find a fuelling 
solution for this issue and I'm confident that we will have done so in time 
for me to prepare properly for the 2023 TCS London Marathon on Sunday 23 
April."

McColgan, whose mum Liz famously won the 1996 London Marathon, was hoping 
this year's TCS London Marathon would cap an incredible 2022.

The Dundee Hawkhill Harrier raced in six track finals over 5000m and 
10,000m at major championships this summer, winning a gold and silver medal 
in the 10,000m and 5000m respectively at the Commonwealth Games, as well as 
a silver and bronze medal in the 10,000m and 5000m at the European 
Championships.

She has also broken the British records for 5K (14:45) and 10K (30:19) on 
the roads this year.

McColgan will now return to close out her 2022 campaign, starting with The 
Big Half on Sunday 4 September.

She said: "I'm really excited to be returning to London on Sunday to race 
in The Big Half for the first time. It's been such a wonderful year for me 
so I'm looking forward to finishing on a high before getting a rest and 
turning my attentions to 2023 and the TCS London Marathon in April."

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