Episode #60: Liz McColgan, World Champion in the 10,000 Meters

Clean Sport Collective

Liz McColgan is a legend and pioneer in the sport of track and field. She won the first-ever women's 10K at the Commonwealth Games in 1986. She competed in the first-ever Olympic 10,000 meter event for women in Seoul in 1988 (and earned a silver). She became a World Champion in 1991 just 9 months after giving birth to her daughter. She won the first-ever World Half Marathon Championship for women in 1992, and she won 3 World Marathon Majors (before they were called that) with victories in NYC, London, and Tokyo.

She was also a pioneer in less fortunate ways as an athlete who lost gold medals to dopers and who lost her sponsorship with Nike due to pregnancy. Both experiences almost ended her career prematurely. Through it all, she remained the same hard-working, fiercely-competitive athlete with integrity who believed in doing things the right way.

In this episode with Kara and Chris, Liz holds nothing back as we discuss it all from being bullied growing up in Scotland to competing in those pioneering days for women's athletics and now to coaching kids and elite athletes (including her daughter Eilish and US marathoner Allie Kieffer) in a sport at risk due to doping, shoe technology and the power dynamics within governing bodies.

Liz provides great perspective on competing herself in an era dominated by steroids and EPO as well as what she believes should be done to level the playing field and clean up the sport today (hint: lifetime bans for athletes AND coaches plus standardized shoe specs). What you see (and hear) is what you get with Liz McColgan, and we are proud to amplify her voice.