Marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge has offered to meet and help mentor Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee ahead of his tilt at this year’s London Marathon.
Kenyan superstar Kipchoge won the Olympic Marathon at both Rio 2016 and Tokyo in 2021 but an injury mid-race scuppered his dreams of a hat-trick in Paris last summer.
He has won the London Marathon a record four times and it was announced this week that he will return on 27 April, his first appearance there since 2020.
The GOAT back in London
Speaking about his return on the official TCS London Marathon website, Kipchoge said: “It is a race that holds a very special place in my heart, filled with so many beautiful memories, and I am eager to create even more.
“Let us celebrate the joy of running and the collective spirit of thousands of runners coming together. It’s a privilege to share this journey with everyone else who will be taking part as we push ourselves to deliver our best performances.
“After a good period of rest, I have returned to training with renewed energy and focus. I feel re-fuelled to give my very best in London.”
Widely regarded as the marathon GOAT, Kipchoge famously became the first person in history to break the two-hour barrier over the distance when he clocked 1:59:40 in the Ineos 1:59 Challenge in 2019 to make headlines around the world.
Yee’s marathon focus
Yee meanwhile is taking a short break from triathlon after a year which saw him add a first world title to his Olympic one and he has always wanted to have a crack at the London Marathon since finishing on the podium in the Mini Marathon there as a youngster.
It will be his first attempt at 26.2 miles and he’s targeting a time of between 2:07 and 2:10 which would put him right up there with the fastest Brits at the distance.
He ran in the Valencia 10K last weekend and clocked a sharp 28:07 and a meet up with Kipchoge could be on the cards given what the Kenyan told the Guardian’s Sean Ingle.
He is quoted as saying: “I’d like to meet him [Yee] before the race and share the lives we live. I’ll give my time when I’m in London to sit with him and share a meal, have a coffee.”
Running ‘can help the whole world’
Yee has spoken in the past about his admiration for Kipchoge and both share a passion for inspiring the next generation.
Kipchoge added: “I’ll share with him what I believe, tell him what I believe about running and why running will actually help the whole world.
“The discussion will be about humanity, about the love of sport that is running. How are we going to sell the sport of running? I think it will be a pure discussion. I’m looking forward to it.”
Kipchoge may now be 40 but he still believes he can be a factor at London, though he’s up against compatriots Sabastian Sawe and Timothy Kiplagat, who have both run under 2:03.
As far as Yee’s plans are concerned, we’ll likely see him race a half marathon en route to London.
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