There will be added British triathlon interest in the London Marathon this year – as rising star Hugo Milner has revealed he has an important role to play.
Milner’s running prowess has been obvious since his switch to triathlon – no surprise given his background of competing in both cross country and track and field when he studied at Harvard University.
And in a short space of time it’s made him one of the most feared competitors in swim, bike and run if he’s anywhere near the front of the race heading into T2.
He burst to prominence with an incredible lung-bursting run to glory at World Triathlon Cup Miyazaki in Japan in 2023 and followed that up with victory over two-time World Triathlon champion Vincent Luis at the Europe Triathlon Cup in Quarteira.
And he rounded off his 2024 campaign with a spectacular top-10 finish at the WTCS Grand Final in Torremolinos thanks to a sensational 28:47 run – some 30 seconds better than next fastest and eventual World Champion Alex Yee.
Alex Yee link up?
And Milner’s role on April 27 on the streets on London could see him running very close to Yee again. Writing on Instagram, Milner said: “Excited to be officially pacing the TCS London Marathon this year!
“I’ll be leading the 2:08 group through 64:00 at halfway – ready to hit the streets of London and help some fast runners chase big goals.”
And among those aiming to run at something very close to 64 minutes for the first half of the marathon is none other than Yee.
The Olympic champion’s focus in the early part of this year has been on a first appearance at the London Marathon, something he’s wanted to do from an early age.
His target time is in the elite 2:07 to 2:10 range and in his YouTube series, which is documenting his build up, he has suggested the first half split will hopefully be very close to Milner’s pace. And they’ve also been training together on the track in Loughborough – watch here.
Turning back the clock
Of course strategy and pacing could change mid-race for those near the head of affairs but for Milner the pacing role is a key responsibility as he has to keep ticking off even splits of sub five-minute miles or a fraction over three-minute kilometres.
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And there’s another similarity between Milner and Yee as the former said of his London role: “Brings back fond memories of racing the @minilondonmarathon all those years ago…”
That’s an event on the same day for talented youngsters and one in which Yee too represented his borough on a number of occasions.
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