Ask athletes why it is special to represent Scotland and most immediately reach for the rarity of the opportunity. "Something just feels different when you're running for Scotland," says distance runner Eilish McColgan, who won a stunning gold medal in the Women's 10,000m in Birmingham in 2022. "You're around people you've known since you were wee - the athletes you've grown up with, the coaches, the support staff. "Other championships, you're doing it for yourself, but at the Commonwealths, you're doing it for Scotland." "Even when I'm competing for GB, I'm still representing Scotland," he says.