British runner clocks 30:07 in Castellón as Yann Schrub of France beats Andreas Almgren’s men’s Euro record with 26:43.
Megan Keith has shown a fine return to form this winter and her great results continued in Castellón on Sunday (Feb 22) when she took one second off Eilish McColgan’s European 10km record for women with 30:07.
The Spanish road race has a reputation for producing fast times and there was a men’s European record as well from Yann Schrub of France as he clocked 26:43 to beat Andreas Almgren’s mark by two seconds.
Almgren equalled his old record with 26:45 close behind Schrub although the victory went to Harbert Kibet of Uganda with 26:39 while Caroline Makandi Gitonga of Kenya was first woman home in 29:34.
Not only did Keith break the record but she had the satisfaction of beating McColgan, who finished sixth in 30:35 as she continues her preparations to run the London Marathon in two months’ time.
McColgan ran 30:08 in Valencia in January on the same day Almgren set his 26:45 European record.
Only 12 months ago Keith felt she was at “ground zero” following an injury-enforced lay off after the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 23-year-old, who is based in Edinburgh, steadily built back into form last year, though, culminating with 10th place in the 10,000m at the World Championships in Tokyo.
In December she finished runner-up to Nadia Battocletti of Italy in the European Cross Country Championships in Portugal. In January she came 25th in the World Cross Country Champs in Florida after going off hard and then struggling in the heat in the latter stages.
Schrub, 29, won the Euro Cross in 2023 and was ninth in the world 5000m final last year. Like Keith, he raced at the World Cross in January and placed 11th in the men’s race, whereas on the track he clocked 7:29.38 for 3000m indoors earlier this month.
