Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee is to race next year’s London Marathon, with the 26-year-old setting his sights on running one of the quickest ever times by a British athlete.
Yee claimed a dramatic gold medal this summer as he chased down Hayden Wilde’s 14-second lead in Paris, before earning bronze in the mixed event a few days later.
The south-east Londoner added the world triathlon title to his collection and is shortlisted for the Sports Personality of the Year, which is to be awarded in Salford on Tuesday night.
Before then, Yee announced his plans to race over 26.2 miles next April. An accomplished runner at the junior level before switching his attention to triathlon, Yee told the Guardian that a dream target would be 2 hours and 7 minutes. Only two British athletes - Mo Farah and Emile Cairess - have gone under 2:07.
“I want to give it a real go,” Yee said. “I know it’s a challenge doing it in a six-month window. But if the planets align, I’d love to run in the ballpark of 2:07 to 2:10.”
He also explained that the London Marathon has been a “big part” of my childhood and explained the decision to commit to the April 27 race was a “no-brainer”.
"It is an event that has given me so many memories,” Yee said. "I remember racing the Mini London Marathon multiple times as a young athlete and it was one of my biggest and most exciting races of the year.
“Taking part in a full marathon has always been an itch I’ve wanted to scratch and there isn’t any another place than London that I would want to start that journey.
"I will be focusing my training over the coming months on the marathon and am looking forward to seeing what I can do over the 26.2 miles.
“I am sure that once again the TCS London Marathon will include the best marathon runners from around the world and across the UK and I’m just looking forward to seeing how I fare in their company."
