Knee injury is the final crack in the armour as Scot is forced to postpone her 26.2-mile debut once more
An emotional Eilish McColgan has been forced to withdraw from Sundays TCS London Marathon.
The 32-year-old, who has broken the British 10,000m and half marathon records already this year, had been due to make her debut over 26.2 miles this weekend but said a bad storm of factors, topped off by a knee injury, had combined to stop her from making the start line.
This is the second time that McColgan, who was also unable to run the previous edition of the London Marathon in October due to fitness problems, has had to pull out and her frustration was evident.
Ive tried. Trust me, Ive tried but its just got to the point where its not going to be feasible to run a marathon this weekend, said the 10,000m Commonwealth champion, who revealed she also tore her hamstring during her recent record-breaking half marathon run in Berlin.
There are a few factors that have all come together like a bad storm. This hasnt been just the knee, theres been a whole host of stuff that over the last three weeks, which have just built up and built up. This knee thing has been like the final crack in the armour.
Of course, Im disappointed. I wanted to be there on the start line. I know Im ready to run a good marathon. I know the shape that Im in right now and I think thats probably what makes it hard to not just be on the start line and give it a go.
The hamstring tear three weeks ago is where doubts began to surface about McColgans participation in London and she admitted the will I run, wont I run? situation had taken a toll.
I said I would always be open and honest about my journey and there have been times where weve thought, were running London, and then were not running London. Thats been the process over this last three weeks. In Berlin, I felt it [my hamstring] go with a kilometre to go and it turned out to be a tear. Initially, I thought thats it, Londons out but we managed to rehab it and I felt confident then about London again.
Ive had a few disagreements with London Marathon themselves regarding the contractual side of things. Ill speak about that another time but again, then it was what do we do now? Do we find another marathon? Do I find another race? Can I do it? Can I not do it?.
I think [with] all of that the stress and just everything my bodys then said: Look, youve had enough now. Youre trying to make everybody happy. Youre trying to push yourself to the limit as well of being fit and healthy on the day. And I think its just all come to a halt.
For that to happen on the eve of the big day and a discipline in which there are high hopes about what McColgan might be able to achieve, has been particularly hard to take.
Its frustrating because Im so close to it, added McColgan. I can see the start line and Im not going to be there. Thankfully, the knee is nothing serious. Ive got a lot of inflammation in the fat pad to the side of my knee and theres an impingement there. The impingement is what is really causing my pain.
Weve spoken about all the options. Do you get an injection into it and do you just go and do it? And I just thought, for this point in my career, Im not taking like any unnecessary risks. As much as I really want to be in London, I dont want to put my long-term career at risk, either.
Having trained so hard to be there, its sad. Im not going to lie, Ive shed a lot of tears for the last two days. It is what it is. My dad keeps reminding me there will always be another London Marathon. All elite athletes go through this. I just hope one day I will be on that start line and I know that itll be worth it in the end. I know I can run a good marathon and I know that one day it will be at London.