The Brit beats compatriot Calli Thackery around the streets of London, with Jack Rowe taking the plaudits in the men’s race
Eilish McColgan’s first half-marathon in over a year and a half ended in success after she claimed victory at the Big Half in London.
The Brit clocked 69:14 and finished 21 seconds ahead of Calli Hauger-Thackery, with the duo battling it out side-by-side around most of the course.
McColgan won this event two years ago but hadn’t competed in the half-marathon since her British record of 65:43 in Berlin last April.
In September, she underwent knee surgery and spent the following three weeks in crutches.
What followed was a heavy rehabilitation programme – including everything from cross-training to aqua jogging – to help prepare McColgan get back to competition once again.
After failing to finish in the 10,000m at the European Championships – McColgan’s first track event since her national record of 30:00.86 in California last March – she followed it up by placing 15th over 25 laps at the Olympics.
Unlike most other athletes, McColgan essentially started her season proper in Paris and subsequently signed up to the Big Half, Great North Run (September 8) and Vitality London 10,000 (September 22).
Eilish McColgan and Calli Thackery (London Marathon Events)
Before the Big Half, McColgan told AW that she wanted to “tick off the half-marathon” ahead of longer-term ambitions over 26.2 miles in 2025.
Speaking after her victory in London, it was a sentiment that McColgan repeated.
“It’s tough to come into a race when you know you’re not in the shape of your life,” she said. “When I went into Berlin I was ready to run a personal best. It’s tough going to a start line when you’re not quite 100% but I don’t want to go into the next four months to get fit and get into a race.
“I was a little bit apprehensive and anxious and it’s been a big mental barrier. It’s been a chronic injury and something that hurt every single day. Every time I walked I was in pain. A lot of that today was about moving on and stop worrying about the injury. It was a huge box ticked.
“You can push in training but there’s nothing quite like hurting in a race. To be honest I found that today. In the last 10km I was hurting and I’m now used to that again. People cheering every step of the way helped a lot as well and that gave me a mental boost. It’s a really cool experience being back in the UK and I feel like I’m ready to push things on now.”
For a while it looked like either McColgan or Hauger-Thackery could take the victory at the Big Half.
Hauger-Thackery, who ran a 2:22:17 marathon on debut last September and also claimed a European half-marathon bronze medal back in June, competed over 26.2 miles at the Olympics.
The Brit however DNF’d in Paris and later said that she’d found out her mum was diagnosed with cancer, just a few weeks before the Games.
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Hauger-Thackery, on her Instagram, stated that she’d “lost a lot of sleep and appetite” and “slowly reached to a point of exhaustion”.
After the Big Half, the 31-year-old opened up about processing the news ahead of the Olympics and why she is considering an autumn or winter marathon this season.
“I didn’t know whether to put it out there to the world,” Hauger-Thackery told AW. “You know what, it is life. Cancer is a thing and it was unfortunate we found out a few weeks before Paris. At the same time, I had so many nice messages who could relate to what was going on. I really appreciate the support as it’s been hard and I’ve got a close group that have helped me get through this period.
“Running is my saviour and it’s also my job. Life is very crazy and messy. There are so many highs and lows but right now you can’t just let the lows affect you. What I know helps me get through the hard times.
“I’m not going to let the training block I had before Paris go to waste. The work I did in St. Mortiz was some of the best I’ve ever had by far and I felt like the fitness that I gained would get me through the race in the Olympics. I never felt so depleted in that race but this is sport.
“So now I want to tackle another marathon, whether that’s like a Berlin or Valencia. I’ve got weigh that up over the next few weeks. I’d love to get under the 2:20 mark and I think my training showed that I was in personal best shape. Then it’s about working from there.”
Jack Rowe (London Marathon Events)
In the men’s field, Jack Rowe was imperious and ran 62:35, a winning margin of one minute and 32 seconds to Jake Smith in second.
It was Rowe’s final race of the season, in a year that he recorded personal bests in the 1500m, 3000m, 5000m and 10,000m.
He also placed 17th over 5000m at the European Championships and then placed third over the distance at the UK Athletics Championships.
Rowe, who had the qualifying standard for the Olympics, wasn’t selected for the Games and the three who went were George Mills, Sam Atkin and Patrick Dever.
The 28-year-old, who has a half-marathon best of 61:08, was in reflective mood after his victory on the streets of London.
“I gave absolutely everything this year,” Rowe said. “It didn’t quite go my way [Olympic selection] and that hurt but that’s sport. I wouldn’t change anything and it’s now about working what to do next. I feel like I’ve been really consistent across the year overall.
“I went seventh on the UK 5000m all-time list but I was the fourth fastest this season. No one would’ve seen this coming a year ago and it’s exciting to be a part of that group. I just fell the wrong side of the line.
“I can compete at 3000m and 5000m, although I don’t seem very good at 10,000m on the track! I can do okay at the half-marathon. The thing is you have to cherry pick things at each point of the season and you can’t just roll through everything. So I need to work out where my strengths are ahead of next season and how to avoid those weaknesses.”
Johnboy Smith [C] (London Marathon Events)
In the wheelchair fields, Commonwealth T54 marathon champion Johnboy Smith claimed victory in a time of 50:00, winning by two minutes and 11 seconds to Sean Frame.
Claudia Burrough – also a Harlequins Wheelchair Rugby player – had an even greater margin of victory as she clocked 65:02, three minutes and 26 seconds ahead of Joanna Robertson.
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