Alex Yee, the Olympic triathlon champion, has become the second-fastest British marathon runner in history with a stunning run in Valencia. The 27-year-old finished seventh in a strong field in a time of 2hr 6min 38sec, quicker than any Briton in history apart from Mo Farah, who ran 2:05:11 in Chicago in 2018.
It was a remarkable performance, especially given Yee took up the marathon only this year as a mini-sabbatical from triathlon after he won gold in Paris. As Yee crossed the line he roared to the skies before placing his hands to his head, in disbelief at the time he had just achieved.
“Valencia marathon blew away any expectations I had of myself,” said Yee. “I had learned so much from London which was such a special experience but I felt with better preparation I had a chance to do something special. From start to finish the atmosphere was amazing and kept my legs and mind pushing through to one of the best performances of my life.”
It also came after Yee’s first attempt over 26.2 miles in London in April had not gone entirely to plan after a series of illnesses interrupted his preparations. After finishing in 2:11:08, he said: “God damn, marathon is hard.”
However, Yee, who has always had serious running pedigree, having competed for Britain over 10,000m at the European Athletics Championships as a 20-year-old, felt he had more to give. His training posts in the buildup to Valencia, in which he had run alongside the seasoned marathon runners Emile Cairess and Phil Sesemann, suggested he had put in the miles and sessions to go much quicker. And so it proved.
Paced by Cairess, who finished fourth in the Olympic marathon in Paris and has a personal best of 2:06:46, Yee looked comfortable as he went through halfway in 1:03:32.
Despite warmer than ideal conditions, with temperatures climbing into the mid-teens, he still had plenty left in the tank to run the second half in a negative split of 1:03:06.
The chances of Yee breaking Farah’s record are slim. He has promised to return to his main sport full time next year and the likelihood is that he will not run another marathon until after the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
