Alex Yee has done it all in triathlon, where he is basking in the glory of being Olympic and World champion.
But as he gears up to make his marathon debut in London on Sunday, two of his fellow triathletes believe he is the best runner in the sport.
And as Jelle Geens is the current 70.3 World Champion, and Aaron Royle a two-time Olympian, their opinion on Yee carries plenty of weight.
“He had a rocky start”
The pair got together to discuss Yee and what time he could pull off in London on their Allintriathlon podcast this week, with Royle saying: “I wouldn’t be surprised, honestly, if it’s anywhere from 2:07:30 to 2:12.
“I feel like he’s going to be on 2:07 pace until about 32 to 35km and then it’s just what he’s got left. I’m going to narrow it down – he’s going to go 2:08:26.”
Yee has been outlining how his training has been going in a series of YouTube videos, and recently spoke about how London has been such a great motivator for him after his stellar 2024.
Royle said: “He’s done some longer run sessions at marathon pace and from watching those videos you get the impression he’s aiming for about a 2:08.
“I know he had a bit of a rocky start. He was trying to start his preparation early and he had to pull out of a race.”
Before switching to triathlon Yee was British champion over 10,000 metres on the track – but has never raced further than that distance on the road so London will be a challenge.
He also admitted that he feels like a novice again as he is taking on his first marathon, and that coping with runner surges at the drinks stations could be a worry.
“He seems ready”
But he has always excelled as a runner, in his youth recording quicker times than Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah at the same age, and feels his training is going well.
Geens said: “He seems ready. It’s bloody impressive. I think we can say without too many people being angry that he’s the best runner in triathlon. So I’m very curious to see what he can do on a fast marathon. London is a fast marathon.
“It’s hard. Your first marathon. You can really fade. But he’s a talented guy. I’m going to say 2:09:05.”
Yee is set to be paced by British triathlete Hugo Milner, and has already revealed that his target time is in the elite 2:07 to 2:10 range.
The 27-year-old believes his Marathon bid can make him an even better triathlete, and admits he will feel a special sense of gratitude being able to fulfill a lifelong dream, after the horror crash in 2017 that left him feeling lucky to be alive.
