Olympic star McColgan coaching Hong Kong runner to new heights – by WhatsApp
Great Britain runner Eilish McColgan puts local athlete through her paces, helps her set personal bests in marathon, 10km
Four-time Olympian and multiple British track champion Eilish McColgan has helped a Hong Kong runner achieve a string of personal bests – by coaching her via WhatsApp.
McColgan and fiancé Michael Rimmer, a three-time Olympian, launched their online coaching business about a decade ago, after being “inundated with people from around the world asking how to get faster”.
During a visit to Hong Kong this month, the pair met Phoebe Tsoi Yun-yue, who clocked a personal best of three hours, 10 minutes and 19 seconds in this year’s Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, after following their guidance for two years.
This season, Tsoi recorded a 1:27:34 half-marathon, and ended a long-standing quest to break 40 minutes over 10km, running 39:46. She said working with McColgan had “made all the difference”.
McColgan, who is targeting a fifth Olympics in 2028, after switching from track to road, said: “Phoebe has a full-time job and child, and the majority of our runners are club level … they are people with other responsibilities.
“There are lots of moving parts, so we create a bespoke plan for every individual.”