Eilish McColgan, a 35-year-old Scottish runner, claimed her fourth victory at the Big Half, a popular half-marathon held in London. This win came after she took a five-month break from competition due to a fractured foot. The injury occurred during the London Marathon in April, where she finished seventh, with blood visible through her shoe. As a result, she had to withdraw from the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July. McColgan returned to the track with a strong performance, using months of training in warmer climates to prepare for the 13.1-mile race. In her comeback race, McColgan comfortably beat last year’s winner, Jessica Warner-Judd, by over a minute and 19 seconds. She finished with a time of 1 hour 10 minutes 54 seconds. While this was more than three minutes slower than her personal best for the course and well outside her British record of 1 hour 5 minutes 43 seconds, it marked a significant return to competitive running after a long layoff. In the men’s race, Britain’s Jack Rowe came close to securing a record fourth consecutive victory but finished in second place, just 14 seconds behind Kadar Omar Abdullahi of Birchfield Harriers, who won in a time of 1 hour 1 minute 51 seconds. Meanwhile, in the men’s wheelchair event, David Weir defended his title 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 by improving on his own time from last year by 45 seconds, finishing in 46 minutes 13 seconds. In the women’s wheelchair race, Eden Rainbow Cooper successfully defended her title, winning in a time of 52 minutes 47 seconds. Her victory highlighted the continued success of British athletes in the event, which has become a key fixture in the London running calendar.