Before that, GB’s Paula Radcliffe held the record for almost 20 years after running 30:21 in Puerto Rico in 2003.
Kenyan Brenda Jepchirchir won the Valencia race in 29:26.
“I’m very proud of myself. Crossing the finish line I was a little emotional because it’s been a long three years to get back to this level,” said McColgan, after recovering from knee surgery.
Swede Andreas Almgren set a men’s European record of 26:43 when winning in Valencia, beating his previous mark, set on the same course, by nine seconds.
Joe Wigfield equaled the British men’s record of 27:38, equaling Rory Leonard’s time in Valencia last year, while Andy Butchart set a Scottish record in 27:43, 19 seconds faster than Callum Hawkins’ time in Valencia in 2020.
In Valencia, the men’s (26:38 by Joshua Cheptegei) and women’s world records (28:46 by Agnes Ngetich) were also broken.