Sport4 min(s) read
Published 16:25 28 Apr 2026 GMT
British runner Eilish McColgan revealed that her foot suddenly "exploded" during the London Marathon.
On Sunday (April 26), the 35-year-old fought through the pain to finish seventh with an impressive time of 2:24:51, finishing as the fastest British woman.
McColgan was seen with blood seeping through her trainers for much of the second half of the race.
A day after the race, the athlete shared graphic images of the injury on Instagram while addressing speculation over what caused it.
"Ooft! Sore body this morning!" she wrote. "My last 3 weeks have been challenging to say the least... from a foot niggle, to tweaking my glute 10 days out, to waking up a few days before race day covered in a purple rash. Why is it SO hard to make a marathon start line!?"
She clarified that the injury was not caused by new gear.
"I've seen a bit of misinformation online regarding my foot so thought I'd clear it up: They weren't new shoes or socks. I've worn them all year for my training and racing with zero issues," she said.
"They aren't too small and my toenails are totally fine. Part of my toe was ripped open and we aren't sure why it happened as it's never been an issue before," she added.
McColgan suggested swelling or the mystery rash she developed days before the race may have played a role.
"The only thing we can think of is that maybe my feet were swollen?! Even the day before the marathon, the rash had spread down to my calves. We still don't know what it was.. as it would come and go throughout the day! But we think that perhaps played a part..."
She concluded: "Anyways, proud of another marathon finish! And THANK YOU for all the cheers around the course. It was insane and genuinely got me through to the finish line!"
Speaking after the race, McColgan described the moment things went wrong.
"Just not long after halfway, I had a really, really bad blister in my foot. It sounds strange saying it, but the only way I can say it is I felt like my foot just exploded," she said, per Daily Mail.
"I just had this massive tear and I thought, what the hell is that? It was obviously pretty sore, but for it to happen quite early on, it panicked me a little bit," she added.
She said the injury affected her stride and triggered pain elsewhere as she pushed through the final miles.
"And yeah, I just felt like I was then running a bit funny. I couldn’t feel pressure through my foot. Part of me was like, am I going to…It’s a long way to make it to 26.2."
"I just started to hurt in different areas then as well. So I don’t know if I’m like running funny through it, I assume," she continued. "Especially I got to like 24 miles and my knee started playing up and sort of went on me a bit."
"And I thought, God, I can’t get to 24 miles and not finish it at this point. I’m just disappointed with how my body sort of held up there," she said.
McColgan’s brutal race unfolded on a historic day in London.
Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa won the women’s race in a remarkable 2:15:41, while Brit runner Rose Harvey finished ninth in 2:26:14.
The men’s race also made headlines after Sabastian Sawe made history by becoming the first athlete to run a sub-two-hour marathon in competitive race conditions, winning in 1:59:30.
Speaking after his victory, Sawe said: "I am feeling good. I am so happy. It is a day to remember for me," per BBC News.
"We started the race well. Approaching finishing the race, I was feeling strong. Finally reaching the finish line, I saw the time, and I was so excited," he added.
Congratulations to everyone who participated in the marathon!
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