Eilish McColgan gives update after her 'foot explodes' during London Marathon

The long-distance runner, 35, made headlines after pictures emerged of her bloodied right foot after her toe was ripped open during the women's elite race.

Despite the nasty injury, the Scot crossed the line in seventh place with a time of 02:24:51, just 26 seconds off her 2025 personal best.

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After the race, McColgan said it “felt like her foot exploded” and shared further details of the injury on Instagram on Monday.

The four-time European Championship silver medalist posted a series of photos, including one of her lying on the floor in her front room, with her head propped up on the sofa, while a large bag of ice was wrapped around her injured foot.

Another image showed McColgan’s blood-drenched sock and shoe at the end of the race, with a further photo showing the skin detached from the bottom of her fourth toe on the right foot.

Alongside the images, McColgan wrote as a caption: “Ooft! Sore body this morning!

WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES BELOW

“My last three weeks have been challenging to say the least… from a foot niggle, to tweaking my glute ten 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!?

“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.

“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.

“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…

“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!”

In an interview after the race, McColgan revealed she could not put any pressure on her foot and went to see a doctor immediately.

She said: “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.

“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.”

McColgan specialises in the 5000m and 10,000m distances, representing Team GB in these events at the last four Olympic games.

She has also raced for Scotland at the Commonwealth Games, winning 10,000m gold at the 2022 Games in Birmingham and a silver medal in the 5000m.