Just days after setting a national marathon record on the streets of London, Eilish McColgan was standing in the shadow of Japan’s Mount Fuji, saying yes to forever.
The 34-year-old Scot had already achieved something monumental by becoming the fastest Scottish woman ever to run a marathon.
Her debut time of 2:24:25 not only placed her eighth overall at the 2025 London Marathon but also beat her mother Liz McColgan’s personal best and the Scottish national record set by Steph Twell in 2019.
But while the running world buzzed with praise, McColgan quietly hopped on a plane to Japan, where her longtime partner—and coach—Michael Rimmer got down on one knee.
“Absolutely worth the jet lag. YES to forever! #offthemarket,” she wrote on Instagram alongside photos of the proposal, framed perfectly by the iconic volcanic peak.
A Family Legacy, Rewritten
For McColgan, breaking her mother’s marathon time was more than just a line on a stats sheet. Liz McColgan—formerly Liz Nuttall—is one of Scotland’s most accomplished distance runners, a world champion and Commonwealth gold medalist who won the London Marathon in 1996.
Eilish grew up in the shadow of that legacy, often compared to her mother even as she forged her own path on the track.
After battling injuries and changing her focus from track to road racing, Eilish’s marathon debut was delayed more than once. She had been slated to run London in 2023 but was forced to withdraw with a knee injury.
Her return this year was triumphant. “I’m really proud of myself today,” she said after the race. “Breaking my mum’s record was the main goal. I’ve broken every one of her PBs now, so that was a really special thing to do within the family”.
Her mother was among the first to publicly celebrate both the athletic and romantic milestones. “Michael has been with Eilish in every part of her success and disappointments… Sport is not an easy platform for relationships, but they were made for each other,” she posted.
Not A Typical Couple
McColgan and Rimmer’s story is unusual even by the standards of elite sport.
Together for over a decade, the pair have spent nearly every day together—as partners, as coach and athlete, and as co-founders of Giving Back to Track, a not-for-profit aimed at helping young runners access the support and resources often out of reach in grassroots athletics.
“We’re in each other’s pockets all the time, but it just works,” McColgan once told the Scottish Daily Mail. “It’s like having my best friend with me at every moment of my life.”
Rimmer, 39, is no stranger to the Olympic stage himself.
A middle-distance runner with three Olympic appearances in the 800m, he shifted focus after retirement to help McColgan chase her marathon dreams full-time. She’s credited his belief and structure as instrumental in her success.
“It’s a big commitment on his behalf too,” she said. “But when I stand on the start line, I feel like I’m not just doing it for myself.”
