As his 26.2-mile debut moves within sight, Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee has told marathon GOAT Paula Radcliffe why training for the London Marathon has been such a great motivator.
Yee had the ultimate year in 2024 – winning not only Olympic gold in Paris but also a first world title.
But after those incredible highs, he was fully aware there could have been a natural lull, which is why the training journey to a lifetime ambition of running the London Marathon has been so important.
On the ‘Paula’s Marathon Run Club’ podcast, which is embedded below, he admits: “It would have been very easy for me to be lost going into this year if I’d just chased triathlon goals.”
London calling
His home marathon in London has always been within Yee’s sights, ever since he was a child and took part in the Mini Marathon on multiple occasions.
But it’s only now, in the first year of the next Olympic cycle, when the stars have aligned to make a focussed tilt at 26.2 miles not only viable but a real launchpad towards the build to LA 2028.
While his running training has been the clear priority, Yee has made sure he’s kept his swimming and cycling ticking over after making significant gains in those two disciplines in the last few years.
He was British champion over 10,000 metres on the track before fully switching to triathlon but has never raced further than that distance on the road so the step up to four times that is clearly a significant change.
He explained to Radcliffe, long-time world record holder for the distance and three-time London winner, and co-host and double Olympian Chris Thompson: “The biggest challenge for me has been the muscular load that you have to go through when you’re training. You cannot replicate it anywhere else, you have to do those long and gruelling runs – and those hard sessions.
“But I feel like they’re the things that have given me confidence.”
‘Ultimate win-win
Yee added: “I’ve enjoyed taking people on the journey because there’s an element of the unknown in what I’m doing. That excites me and I want to share that because I line up like 40,000 other people do on London Marathon day with those nerves and anticipation.
“Fundamentally I’m doing my first marathon so I’m excited to see what happens.
“I think whenever anyone asks me about a time goal or anything like that, my first answer is my goal for the London Marathon is to enjoy it. I’ve heard so many authentic stories and amazing people recounting their experience in London, whether they’re running 2:02 or whether they’re running four or five hours.
“So I’m going to be somewhere in the middle of that, and hopefully I’m going to have a similar experience.
“And this race feels like a win-win for me. Firstly because I get to do it in London and secondly because I get to do it against quite a few of my idols
“It’s the opportunity to have growth and to learn. That’s the ultimate win for me. It’s something I’ve wanted to do all my life.”
