Eilish McColgan: I never felt I was good enough

My Sporting Life is The i Paper’s look behind the curtain at what drives sports stars to greatness. Scottish long-distance runner Eilish McColgan reflects on early career setbacks, her crowning moment in 2022 and her relationship with her mother Liz. I had a breakthrough when I made my first Team GB team at 21. I remember being with Jo Pavey, Helen Clitheroe and Jenny Meadows and just thinking, God, these women train so hard. Of course I always trained hard, but I didn’t put much effort into recovery. I’d be up all hours. I’d be going out partying with friends. I’d be eating kebabs at four in the morning. McColgan with mum Liz after winning Commonwealth gold (Photo: Getty) I was just winging it, essentially. That was such an eye-opener for me. It gave me a huge wake-up call. Nothing will top the Commonwealth Games in 2022 It’s very rare to have all my family there. I’ve raced all over the world, but it’s so expensive to get flights everywhere. It’s just not possible. So to have everybody there in Birmingham was a really special moment. For it to go my way, to win the race, for everything to come together on that day, 30-odd years after my mum, it doesn’t get much better than that. I can’t wait until I’m 78 years old and I can show my grandkids the photos and say, “this was your mum and dad, and this was your gran and granddad,” the same way I had those images of my mum crossing the line and hugging my grandparents. The doctor told me I would never run again It was actually very early on in my career. I got invited to my first-ever Diamond League in London in 2011. I was so excited because I’d never raced at that level before. Unfortunately with 600m to go, I completely broke my foot. Five screws and a metal plate later, here we are. I’ve had surgeries since then, but the first one is always the hardest. That was one of my lowest points. I was on crutches for a very long time. For someone who’s super active, obviously that was tough. I had to learn how to walk again because they’d reshaped my foot a little bit as well. I wish someone had taught me the basics of finance At school, you learn so many things – Pythagoras’ theorem and all that. But I think learning the ABCs of finance at a young age would help the transition from being supported by your parents or guardian to going solo. Budgeting is such an important part of that. It’s a difficult time for a lot of people. To be honest, a lot of athletes struggle, especially when they sign their first contract at a young age. They suddenly have money coming in and out, but no idea how to manage it. It’s hard if you don’t have the right people around you, and a lot of mums and dads don’t know the ins and outs of athletics because they’ve never been through it themselves. I wish I’d had that advice much earlier, when I was trying to navigate contracts, agents and everything that comes with being a professional athlete. I was lucky as I had my mum and my dad, even my partner was an athlete too. So the mistakes they made made throughout their careers, I’ve been able to try and avoid making. I want to compete at the Olympics in 2028 McColgan finished seventh in her first-ever London Marathon (Photo: Getty) I mean, if you’d asked me back in 2012, I would have just laughed. I would have said there’s absolutely not a chance. Like I’d be long done, finished, retired, and out of the sport. My partner and I have been travelling around with two suitcases since Christmas. I think at some point I have to accept that we will have to buy a house somewhere and settle down. We never see our friends and family. I can’t expect us to do that for ever and ever. But for now, we’re all systems go. I want to run for as long as I possibly can. I’m my mum’s biggest cheerleader She’s a remarkable woman. She gave birth to me at the peak of her career and became a world champion less than a year later. It just blows my mind. It’s not easy to accomplish those things, and as you become an adult, when you get into your 20s and 30s, you realise how difficult it is to have started a family, what she managed to achieve and the way she did it. We’ve obviously got a very close relationship. She’s always believed in me. She’s the first person I’ll pick up the phone and call after an event. Same with my dad, to be honest, and my partner as well, we’re a very small team. I think that helps, because there are a lot harder days than there are good days in sport, so having those strong people around me, particularly my mum, is a huge positive. GoHenry is working with Eilish McColgan as part of GoHenry’s Dream Big competition, inspiring young people to follow their ambitions and turn their goals into reality.