Brigid Kosgei wins Great North Run as Eilish McColgan withdraws

Brigid Kosgei won the women's Great North Run on Sunday, finishing in 1:06:15 as Eilish McColgan's return from injury suffered another setback. BBC Sport reported that McColgan left the half-marathon early with a foot problem, while Kosgei established a commanding lead and spent much of the race running alone.

The Kenyan finished more than two minutes ahead of compatriot Sheila Chepkirui, with Amy-Eloise Neale fifth and the leading British finisher. Kosgei's time was outside the 1:04:28 course record she set in 2019, but her advantage over the runner-up made this a decisive victory rather than a close finish.

McColgan, 35, had won London's Big Half a week earlier in 1:10:54. According to the BBC, she had expressed concerns about her injury and fitness after that comeback. She broke a toe during April's London Marathon, where she finished seventh, and subsequently missed the Commonwealth Games in July.

Her participation had been a notable part of the organiser's announcement of the elite field. In comments published by Great Run before the event, McColgan described the race as a goal during rehabilitation from her toe injury. She said her fitness was returning gradually and that racing over the half-marathon distance would help her assess her progress. Sunday's withdrawal interrupted that return to competition.

Chepkirui had arrived as defending champion, with the organiser identifying Kosgei among her principal opponents. Great Run's event information placed this year's race on September 13, over the Newcastle upon Tyne-to-South Shields route. It marked 45 years of the event, with organisers announcing a field of 63,000 participants. Their elite-field announcement listed more than 100 invited athletes from countries including Kenya, Ethiopia, Japan, South Africa and the United States, alongside the wider mass-participation race.

In the wheelchair events, Britain's David Weir secured his 10th Great North Run title with a time of 43:06, BBC Sport reported. Melanie Woods won the women's race in 50:19, having also been listed by the organiser as the returning champion.