Eilish McColgan storms to European 10km record in Valencia

McColgan runs 30:08 to reclaim European women’s mark while Andreas Almgren clocks European men’s record of 26:45 and Joe Wigfield runs a British record of 27:38.

Eilish McColgan has endured a long and tough road back from injury in the past three years. The 35-year-old underwent knee surgery among other things but has gradually returned to her best form.

She demonstrated this on Sunday (Jan 11) in Valencia when she reclaimed her European 10km record from Jana Van Lent – a mark of 30:09 that the Belgian runner held for just one week before McColgan improved it to 30:08 on the Spanish roads.

The “10K Valencia Ibercaja by Kiprun”, to give it its full title, also saw a European men’s record from Andreas Almgren on Sunday as the Swede improved his previous record of 26:53 to 26:45.

With PBs and national records falling at an incredible volume, in the melee of runners charging over the finish line Joe Wigfield equalled Rory Leonard’s UK 10km record of 27:38.

Close behind Wigfield, fellow Brits Alfie Manthorpe (27:40) and Scott Beattie (27:41) only narrowly missed Leonard’s record too.

Leonard set his national record in Valencia last year but this weekend was racing instead at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee – an event that has arguably been outshone by the spectacular road performances in Valencia.

Yet despite all the record-breaking performances, the Valencia race has a slightly chaotic element to it. There were no live results, the online stream failed to show McColgan during the race and with runners crammed together on the start line it was fortune that the event avoided a repeat of the infamous pile-up from the 2023 race.

“This is my first time in Valencia and I’ve heard incredible things about this race,” said McColgan. “It’s also my first time racing with quite so many men around me, which meant I was never running alone in the race. I’m really happy with today.”

Just days earlier, McColgan was sweeping snow out of the inside lanes of a track at an altitude training camp in order to do one of her final workouts.

“The last three years have been tough,” added McColgan. “I rushed into the London Marathon last year. But I wanted to work on getting my speed up to scratch first this winter before my next marathon.

“This is one of the bucket list races so I don’t know how I’ve got to my age and not done it before. I’d like to come back to Valencia for the half and maybe even the marathon one day.”

Most of the online streaming coverage focused on Almgren as he sliced eight seconds off his 12-month old European record, also going No.6 on the world all-time rankings.

“These are the best conditions yet,” said Almgren, who led for most of the race, “but if I could have a pacer for the first 6-7km and then go hard for the last 3km I could run even faster.”

Runner-up Khairi Bejiga of Ethiopia was dropped by Almgren in the final kilometre and held on for 26:51 as Victor Kipruto of Kenya was third in 27:17.

As well as his 10km records, Almgren has enjoyed quite a past 12 months as he broke the European 5000m record in Stockholm last summer with 12:44.27 and then became the first European to break the 59-minute barrier for the half-marathon with 58:41 in Valencia in October.

On a weekend that saw world 10km record-holder Agnes Ngetich racing in Tallahassee, Brenda Jepchirchir of Kenya won the women’s race in 29:25 as Likina Amebaw of Ethiopia was runner-up in 29:30 and Clare Chemtai Ndwia of Kenya third in 29:49.

McColgan was eighth overall with Alex Bell the next British woman home in 30:57 in 11th.

Elsewhere, Said Mechaal ran a Spanish men’s record of 27:25.