Eilish McColgan celebrated a remarkable return to form by winning her fourth title at the Big Half in London on Sunday, following a challenging five-month recovery from a fractured foot.

The 35-year-old Scot had sustained the injury during the London Marathon in April, where she finished seventh, enduring a painful race with blood seeping through her shoe. This setback forced her to withdraw from the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July.

Despite the challenges, McColgan's months of warm weather training paid off as she completed the 13.1-mile course in a time of 1hr 10mins 54secs, securing victory over last year's champion, Jessica Warner-Judd, by a significant margin of one minute 19 seconds. Although it was not her fastest time on the course, it marked a triumphant return.

In the men's race, Jack Rowe aimed for a record fourth consecutive victory but fell short, finishing second, just 14 seconds behind Kadar Omar Abdullahi of Birchfield Harriers, who claimed victory with a time of 1:01:51.

In the men's wheelchair event, David Weir defended his title successfully, winning for the fifth time in the race's nine-year history. The 47-year-old, who retired from Paralympic competition in 2024, set a new course record of 46:13, breaking his previous record by 45 seconds.

Eden Rainbow Cooper also defended her title in the women's wheelchair event, finishing in 52:47.