(Reuters) – Commonwealth Games 10,000m champion Eilish McColgan has withdrawn from next month’s London Marathon due to a medical issue, organisers said in a statement.
Scottish runner McColgan’s preparations for the marathon were hampered by having reactions to taking on fuel during long practice runs.
The issue has been identified as rebound hypoglycemia. It is a common occurrence among endurance athletes and leads to reduced blood sugar levels.
McColgan, who followed in her mother’s footsteps by winning the Commonwealth gold in August, said she was now hoping to make her debut in next year’s London Marathon – which her mother Liz won in 1996.
“When I do race my first marathon, I want to be in the very best condition,” McColgan said on Thursday. “When we started preparing for London earlier this year, it was clear something wasn’t right on my long runs.
“Refuelling in a marathon is such an important part of the race to get right, so I have been practising this during my long runs and very quickly I’ve been experiencing spells of dizziness that have really affected me.
“I was relieved to learn it is not uncommon in athletes. I’m grateful to have a really supportive team around me who are working to find a fuelling solution for this issue and I’m confident that we will have done so in time for me to prepare properly for the 2023 London Marathon.”
McColgan ran in the 5,000m and 10,000m finals at the world championships in Eugene before winning the 10,000m gold and 5,000m silver at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
The 31-year-old also took the 10,000m silver and 5,000m bronze at last month’s European championships in Munich.
The London Marathon takes place on Oct. 2.
(Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
