Eilish McColgan targets Great North Run after marathon debut ‘relief’

Having crossed the line in two hours, 24 minutes and 25 seconds, McColgan wants to go under 2:20, a time she believes is needed to compete at world level.

“London was the main priority and I haven’t scheduled anything after that because I wasn’t sure how I would recover,” she said. “It’s given me a lot of confidence knowing that, okay, it wasn’t great, my first one, it felt tough, I felt like I struggled, but I came eighth and held on to top Brit.

“The next one for me might be the Great North Run in September – a half marathon there.”

McColgan has yet to decide whether her next marathon proper will be one where male participants will help pace her to a faster time, or “do I go something more tactical like New York?”.

She found the London Marathon “quite nerve wracking” as it was “a baptism of fire” making her debut in a high-profile event full of women champions at the distance.

However, she liked “that buzz you get” from having fans shouting her name all the way round the course – and feels suited to the distance as she targets the next Olympics.

“This is definitely a new chapter for me,” McColgan added. “I always felt that one day I would get to the marathon and I’m coming at it a bit later than perhaps was originally planned.

“There’s lots more space on the road as well. On the track, I’m very tall and gangly, so I would often get clipped and tripped – and on the road it is good to have my own space and rhythm.”