Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee will act as pacemaker to leading light Emile Cairess as he bids to set a new British record at the London Marathon.
Yee is repaying the favour to Cairess who paced him to a sensational time in Valencia last summer, clocking 2:06:38 – the second-fastest marathon time ever recorded by a British athlete.
Cairess, meanwhile, is the third-fastest British marathoner in history with a personal best of 2:06:46 and is the country’s best hope for success in the capital.
“Emile is a great runner, and he was a massive help to me at last year’s Valencia Marathon, both during my training block beforehand and pacing on the day,” said Yee.
“My hope is that I can repay him for that help by supporting him as much as I can at this year’s TCS London Marathon and play some part in helping him achieve his ambitions.”
Mo Farah holds the British men’s marathon record, setting the bar in the 2018 London Marathon as he clocked a blistering time of 2:05:11.
Cairess finished fourth at the 2024 Paris Olympics while Yee, whose crowning glory came at those Games, made his marathon debut in London last year, finishing 14th with a time of 2:11:08.
“It was an incredible experience to race the TCS London Marathon last year,” he said.
“As a Londoner, I thought I knew what to expect, but the crowds, the support and the atmosphere was more impressive than I ever imagined. Even though I won’t be doing the full 26.2 miles again this year, I’m looking forward to soaking up the experience again.”
Yee will be joined by some experienced pacemakers including Oscar Kiplimo, the older brother of half marathon world record-holder Jacob Kiplimo, and Andrea Kiptoo, a training partner of reigning London Marathon champion Sabastian Sawe.
The London Marathon will take place on 26 April.
