British athlete Eilish McColgan has opened up on the gruesome injuries she suffered during the London Marathon on Sunday, revealing that part of her toe 'ripped open'.
McColgan, who is the daughter of Scottish running legend Liz, somehow crossed the finish line in seventh place with an impressive time of 2:24:51, despite suffering a nasty foot injury halfway through the race.
The 35-year-old athlete had blood seeping through her trainers for much of the second half of the race, yet still finished just 26 seconds slower than on her long-awaited London Marathon debut last year.
Immediately after the race, McColgan said it 'felt like her foot exploded' and revealed she could hardly feel any pressure running through it towards the end.
It became an instant talking point after this year's London Marathon as it showed the lengths athletes are prepared to go to in pursuit of a personal best.
Eager to clear up some misinformation she had heard online, McColgan posted to Instagram on Monday morning: 'Ooft! Sore body this morning!
Eilish McColgan has opened up on the gruesome injuries she suffered in the London Marathon
Remarkably, the British runner still somehow managed to finish in seventh place on Sunday
'My last 3 weeks have been challenging to say the least... from a foot niggle, to tweaking my glute 10 days out, to waking up a few days before race day covered in a purple rash. Why is it SO hard to make a marathon start line!?
'I've seen a bit of misinformation online regarding my foot so thought I'd clear it up: They weren't new shoes or socks. I've worn them all year for my training and racing with zero issues.
'They aren't too small and my toenails are totally fine. Part of my toe was ripped open and we aren't sure why it happened as it's never been an issue before.
'The only thing we can think of is that maybe my feet were swollen?! Even the day before the marathon, the rash had spread down to my calves. We still don't know what it was.. as it would come and go throughout the day! But we think that perhaps played a part...
'Anyways, proud of another marathon finish! And THANK YOU for all the cheers around the course. It was insane and genuinely got me through to the finish line!'
McColgan accompanied her Instagram post with a series of gruesome images which Daily Mail Sport have altered, showing how the skin on her fourth toe has entirely ripped away.
Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa won Sunday's London Marathon in the women's category with a remarkable time of 2:15:41, while McColgan was the fastest British finisher ahead of Rose Harvey who crossed the line ninth after clocking 2:26:14.
In her interview after the race, McColgan said: 'Just not long after halfway, I had a really, really bad blister in my foot. It sounds strange saying it, but the only way I can say it is I felt like my foot just exploded.
'I just had this massive tear and I thought, what the hell is that? It was obviously pretty sore, but for it to happen quite early on, it panicked me a little bit.
After the race, McColgan said it 'felt like her foot exploded' – but she still managed to battle on
The efforts they go to! McColgan also shared this photo from three weeks before the marathon
'And yeah, I just felt like I was then running a bit funny. I couldn’t feel pressure through my foot. Part of me was like, am I going to…It’s a long way to make it to 26.2.
'I just started to hurt in different areas then as well. So I don’t know if I’m like running funny through it, I assume.
'Especially I got to like 24 miles and my knee started playing up and sort of went on me a bit.
'And I thought, God, I can’t get to 24 miles and not finish it at this point. I’m just disappointed with how my body sort of held up there.'