Alex Yee's new goal: The 2025 London Marathon
The year 2025 will bring a very special test for Alex YeeThe British world triathlon star and current Olympic champion has announced that he will take part in the prestigious London marathon the 27 of April of 2025.
This decision involves leaving for a while the Triathlon World Series to dive deep into the world of pure running. At just 26 years old, Yee is looking to broaden his sporting horizons and take on a challenge that would allow him to shine in another discipline.
An ambitious time target: 2h07'
Making your debut in the marathon is no small feat, but Yee is not satisfied with just finishing. His idea is to break the 2h07' barrier, a record that would place him among the best long-distance runners in British history.
To date, only two UK riders have broken that record: Mo Farah and Emile Cairess. To break into such an exclusive club requires a constant pace of 3'00”/km along the 42,195 km.
Running at that pace is a daunting challenge, especially for someone who has so far excelled in a sport that combines swimming, cycling and running. Still, Yee's experience in elite triathlon and his ability to run at very high paces in the latter stages of the race suggest that, with the right preparation, he could aspire to something big.
As he himself comments to 'The Guardian', “I really want to try. I know it's a challenge to do it in a six-month time frame, but if the planets align, I'd love to run somewhere between 2 hours 7 minutes and 2 hours 10 minutes.".
Preparation and the physical challenge
With just six months to become a top marathon runner, Yee will have to work on every detail.
He himself has confessed that the hardest part will not be aerobic capacity, but the muscular endurance needed to withstand the repeated impact of running for more than two hours.
The question is what will happen after kilometer 35, when the legs begin to show their real fatigue. These are moments when the difference between an experienced long-distance runner and a beginner can be clearly seen.
Yee knows this, and that's why he remains cautious. He has seen prestigious athletes suffer in their first experience with the distance. He doesn't want to be "humiliated" by the marathon, in his own words, so he is determined to prepare himself as best as possible within his limitations.
The connection with the British capital
For Yee, the London Marathon is no ordinary event. The city has been part of his running history since the very beginning. He took part in the Mini London Marathon as a teenager, and those early successes marked the path to high performance.
Now, returning to the streets of London to face the classic distance of athletics is fulfilling an old dream. The city has witnessed his steps and, in 2025, he hopes to show the public a challenge that lives up to his sporting resume.
Yee will not be the only one to take advantage of 2025 as a transition year after the Paris 2024 Games. The start of the new Olympic cycle towards Los Angeles 2028 opens a window to explore new horizons, as is the case of Haiden Wilde, who will focus on middle distance.
