03-05-2025
Eilish McColgan: 11 interesting facts about Dundee runner
Eilish McColgan has become one of Scotland's most successful and best-known athletes.
And her latest success, where she broke the Scottish record for completing a marathon when running in London, was the latest in a line of big achievements.
The 34-year-old has enjoyed many highs and lows in the public eye – from heartbreaking injuries to global success and meeting the love of her life.
The Courier takes a look at 11 interesting facts about the life and career of the Dundee running icon.
Eilish was born in November 1990, two years after her mum Liz had won a silver medal for the 10,000 metres at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Her dad, Peter, holds the 3,000 metres indoor record for Northern Ireland.
After participating in regional cross-country events, Eilish became a member of Dundee Hawkhill Harriers.
Liz saw the Dundee High School pupil's talent in long-distance running and decided to coach her when she hit her teens.
Eilish's first televised race, the London Diamond League in 2011, ended in disaster.
During the last 500 metres, she heard a 'massive pop' – later realising she had broken her foot.
The break ruled Eilish out of her first world championships.
In a blog, she wrote: 'Never ever have I been so depressed and down in my entire life.
'One minute I was so excited to be in the best physical shape I've ever been in, then the next split second it's all over.'
Eilish was able to recover from her injury to scoop two golds at the 2012 Scottish Universities Indoor Championships.
Aged 21, she was called up to the GB steeplechase team for the London Olympics, finishing the British trials in less than 10 minutes.
Participating in the 3,000 metre event, Eilish finished in 33rd place, missing out on the final.
In 2014, Eilish was rushed for emergency treatment during a trip to see her mum in Qatar.
She had suffered heart palpitations, something she had encountered since childhood.
Eilish said: 'I struggled to get to sleep one evening with my mind going into overdrive.
'I eventually got to sleep at around 3am but was abruptly awoken by my chest thumping.
'Initially, I thought it was just my normal palpitation but unfortunately, this one was different, it didn't stop.
'I tried to get up from my bed and almost collapsed. My heart felt like it was going 100 miles an hour.'
She was still able to participate in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, finishing sixth in the steeplechase.
The same year, Eilish became housemates with Michael Rimmer at Loughborough University.
Michael, who participated in the 800 metres at the London Olympics, and Eilish were both being trained by Jon Bigg at the time.
The pair decided to become a couple and remain together to this day
The next few years saw Eilish reach the 5,000m final at the 2016 Olympics, win European bronze in the 3,000m during the 2017 European Indoor Championships and silver in the 5,000m at the 2018 European Championships.
She made a third appearance at the Olympics in Tokyo in 2021, but this was eclipsed by a first gold medal at the European 10,000m Cup in Birmingham.
Eilish has repeatedly hit back at online trolls who have criticised her weight and body throughout her career.
In 2021, she said: 'From a young age, my shape hasn't changed – slim and tall. It's just me.
'I was so unconfident as a kid, having the shape of a bean pole rather than the boobs of all the other girls at school, but over the years I've grown to love my body and genuinely wouldn't change it for the world.'
The following year, she shared a video on her Instagram profile after more hateful comments, saying she was 'proud' of her body.
And in 2025, she hit out at 'brainless' comments calling her 'anorexic'.
After breaking even more records, August 2022 saw the crowning moment of Eilish's career so far in the final of the 10,000 metres at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
As she raced neck and neck with Kenyan runner Irene Cheptai in the final 100 metres, Eilish found a second wind and passed her rival to win the race.
Eilish set a new games record in the race, breaking the record held by her mum for 32 years.
In 2023, Eilish and Michael set up a charity – Giving Back to Track – based at Hawkhill Harriers' base within the city's Regional Performance Centre.
The not-for-profit aims to remove financial barriers and support athletes with things like membership fees, training kit and track facilities.
The project also covers the costs of five young athletes who attend weekly Hawkhill Harrier track sessions.
That same year, the BBC released a documentary based on Eilish's career, titled Running in the Family.
The often-emotional programme gave a behind-the-scenes look at Eilish's life and career.
Eilish called Liz her 'role model' on the documentary and spoke about her determination not to let her family down.
After injury forced her out in 2023, Eilish finally competed in the London Marathon in 2025 – finishing eighth.
She completed the course in a time of 2.24.25 – smashing the previous Scottish record of 2.26.40 held by Steph Twell and the winning time posted by Liz in 1996.
The effort meant Eilish had now broken all of her mum's records.
Straight after the London Marathon, Eilish and Michael travelled to Japan to shoot promotional footage for Asics.
It will be a trip the pair will remember for the rest of their lives, after Michael popped the question in front of Mount Fuji.
Eilish shared the news with thousands of followers on social media.
