Even for Olympic champions, the days before running the London Marathon bring a mixture of nerves and excitement. Alex Yee is no exception. The world triathlon champion and gold medal winner in Paris last summer, his first attempt at the marathon distance will start on home turf: Lewisham’s own will join line up alongside the elites at Blackheath, a few miles from the hospital where he was born and the running track in Ladywell where he started out, and which now bears his name.
Yee remembers watching the marathon from a young age, leaning over the barriers to watch the fastest in the world fly through the south London streets before crossing Tower Bridge. It will be surreal to join them now, and he has hinted at feeling a sense of impostor syndrome, given that he will be starting in the strongest marathon field ever assembled, including the greatest of all time in Eliud Kipchoge. “It feels like I’ve taken a wrong turn to get here,” he told BBC 5 Live this week.
Yee has been open and honest about the challenge he faces. Rather than shy away from the fact that he is stepping into the unknown, Yee is fully embracing it. Of course, the 27-year-old is more accustomed to swimming and cycling before he runs, and the mechanics of a triathlon race – beyond the obvious – couldn’t be more different. In the triathlon, there are natural points where momentum can switch and surge, notably displayed by Yee in his astonishing comeback to beat rival Hayden Wilde to gold in Paris.
In attempting the marathon, Yee will need more of the same spirit. His target is in the range of 2:08 to 2:09, which would put him among some of the fastest British times ever recorded in the marathon. Yee’s race simulation in Portugal earlier this month saw him go through 30km in 3:05/kms, exactly where he wanted to be. It is the final 10km, and the little 2.195km on the end, that for now remains untouched at race pace, lingering at the back of Yee’s mind. Even with months of marathon training behind him, no one knows what will happen then.
And – perhaps aided by the fact that his adventure in London is a bit on the side, with a hugely successful career in the triathlon to go back to once this is finished – it is a process that Yee has invited his fans and followers to join him in. Yee’s YouTube series ahead of the marathon, The London Detour, goes into the insecurities and doubts that come with the daunting prospect of the unknown – and yes, even double Olympic champions are not immune to those.
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What also comes through is the depth of Yee’s support team and the thoroughness of their preparations – from the testing labs at New Balance’s Boston headquarters and bespoke race-day shoes to practicing his fluid pick-ups on the simulation run. Yee has continued his sessions in the pool and on the bike, although running, which has always been his biggest strength of the three, has taken up far more of his focus than usual. Afterwards, he hopes his marathon experience will lead to growth, giving him something extra to take back into triathlon and the journey towards LA 2028.
Courage is required after stepping outside the comfort zone. “Alex is an athlete who outperforms on race day what he does in training,” says his coach, Adam Elliott. “When I watch a triathlon, I can trust Alex knows what he is doing and he’s going to deliver everything he’s got. On race day at the marathon, I’m going to stand there not knowing what’s going to happen. Do we know what’s going to happen in the last 10km? We can train for it as much as we want – but without running 42km flat out, no, not really.”
Yee would tell you the same. “Yeah… marathon is gonna be hard” was the Strava title of one of his long runs at the start of his block. But it is with that honesty that Yee will prepare to leave it all out there on Sunday.
Alex Yee: The London Detour is on YouTube; London Marathon coverage starts at 8.30am on BBC1 tomorrow
