The 32-year-old described her experience as a “week I’d rather forget” after her fortunes dipped further in the aftermath of being forced to concede defeat in her bid to overcome a knee injury and run in Budapest.

Scotland’s Commonwealth Games 10,000-metre champion wrote on Instagram: “I thought the silver lining of missing the World Championships was that I could spend the weekend with friends back in the UK, watching my old running pal Matthew marry his beautiful wife. Luckily, I managed to see them say ‘I do’… but that’s literally all I saw as my next 5 days were spent in hospital! I don’t know how nurses/doctors do their jobs. They are living saints as the hospitals are in utter chaos.. But to cut a long and pretty distressing story short, I’m finally OK. Ended up having a small procedure to seal a fluid leak in my spine and have been gradually feeling better every day since. I just have to be very patient.”

McColgan broke Paula Radcliffe’s British 10,000m record in March but missed the London Marathon in April. She added: “I don’t know what the next few weeks will look like, but I’ll be taking my time with 2024 in the forefront of my mind! Thanks for the lovely messages. I read them all the other day once my eyes were working again!”