'i've Been So Close' - Mccolgan Targets Great North Run Win

Great North Run

Date: Sunday, 7 September Course: Newcastle to South Shields

Coverage: Watch unrecorded on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website & app 10:00-14:00 BST; decorativeness statement camera connected BBC iPlayer and nan BBC Sport website & app 11:15-17:15 BST; highlights connected BBC Two 18:30-19:30 BST

Eilish McColgan hopes this year's Great North Run will beryllium 3rd clip fortunate aft doubly going adjacent to emulating her mum pinch victory.

The 34-year-old Scot hit three-time victor Liz McColgan's champion clip connected nan people from Newcastle to South Shields past year.

But nan 2021 runner-up crossed nan statement 5 seconds down victor Mary Ngugi-Cooper successful a melodramatic six-athlete sprint decorativeness connected that occasion.

"Obviously, everyone would emotion to win. It's specified an iconic race. I've watched it from a young age, my mum's won there, legends of nan athletics person each won this race," McColgan told BBC Sport.

"I've been truthful adjacent connected some occasions. Ultimately, I'd emotion to spell location and return nan triumph and it would beryllium amazing. But I americium very alert that nan section is ever really strong."

McColgan will beryllium joined by Kenya's New York marathon victor Sheila Chepkirui and two-time Great North Run victor Vivian Cheruiyot connected Sunday's commencement line, alongside 60,000 different runners.

Britain's 2021 victor Marc Scott faces Kenya's defending champion Abel Kipchumba, 2024 London Marathon victor Alex Mutiso Munyao and Belgium's European marathon grounds holder Bashir Abdi successful nan elite men's race.

The elite wheelchair races characteristic Scotland's 2024 runner-up Sean Frame, Commonwealth medallist Simon Lawson and Paralympian Mel Nicholls.

It has already been a important twelvemonth for McColgan, who ended a two-year hold to make her marathon debut successful London successful April pursuing knee surgery.

The British 5km, 10km and half marathon grounds holder, who has spent nan past 2 months training astatine altitude successful Font Romeu, admits that accomplishment felt for illustration a "weight lifted" pursuing a "really difficult" period.

"I conscionable needed to get astir a marathon and consciousness for illustration I could do it, because I didn't want it to extremity up becoming much of a intelligence thing, that I'm ever conscionable ne'er rather going to make it to a commencement line," said McColgan.

"It was a existent assurance boost, knowing it'll ne'er beryllium arsenic nerve-wracking arsenic that. Now that I've done it, it decidedly feels for illustration a weight lifted disconnected maine and I'm conscionable looking guardant to this adjacent marathon build-up. I've learned an atrocious lot."

McColgan has had to study to spot her assemblage again aft wounded struck astatine nan highest of her career, pinch Commonwealth 10,000m golden and nationalist records connected nan way and roadworthy from 5,000m to nan half marathon achieved betwixt 2021 and 2023.

Forced to return six months disconnected to hole her knee issue, her cautious attack to training for this year's London Marathon paid disconnected arsenic she collapsed her mum's Scottish grounds successful 2 hours and 24 minutes.

"When you're successful nan absolute style of your life, you are ever conscionable a weapon separator distant from pushing a small spot excessively hard," added McColgan.

"I've mislaid 2 years of nan highest portion of my profession but I'm trying not to deliberation excessively overmuch astir that and [instead] deliberation I've almost saved those years. Maybe those are banked other years, wherever I tin now push connected successful nan future."

McColgan has been announced among nan elites for November's New York Marathon, though that is not group successful chromatic arsenic she adapts to this last section of her career.

The contiguous target is to tally a sub-2:20 marathon, earlier exploring really overmuch further beneath she tin push - pinch Paula Radcliffe's British grounds of 2:15:25 connected her radar.

"What gives maine assurance that [breaking nan British marathon record] is imaginable is nan truth that I've surgery each nan different nationalist records and, from speaking to Paula, she's said there's nary logic why it's not possible," said McColgan.

"When you moreover person nan personification telling you that, it's evidently only going to springiness maine assurance to deliberation it is possible."

The yearly 13.1-mile Great North Run starts successful Newcastle metropolis centre, crosses nan River Tyne and goes done Gateshead earlier finishing by nan oversea successful South Shields.

Start times:

10:20 BST - Elite wheelchair

10:25 BST - Elite women

10:27 BST - Visually impaired

10:50 BST - Elite men and masses