The triathlete will repay the favour to Cairess who paced him to stunning time in Valencia last December.
Reigning Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee will take on pacemaking duties at the 2026 TCS London Marathon, where he is set to support Britain’s leading hope Emile Cairess.
The race, which takes place on April 26, will see Yee repay a favour to Cairess after the Leeds-based marathoner helped guide him through 21 miles at the Valencia Marathon last December. On that occasion, Yee went on to clock 2:06:38 – the second-fastest marathon time ever recorded by a British athlete.
“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.”
Cairess, who finished fourth at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games marathon, is the third-fastest British marathoner in history with a personal best of 2:06:46 and will once again lead the home charge in London.
Yee, meanwhile, made his marathon debut in the capital in 2025, finishing 14th overall in 2:11:08 and ending as the second British finisher.
“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.”
Elsewhere, Alex Bell, fresh from victory at the GetPRO Bath Half and selected for the World Athletics Road Running Championships, will pace the elite British women.
The men’s race will also feature experienced pacemakers, including Oscar Kiplimo, the older brother of half marathon world record-holder Jacob Kiplimo, and Andrea Kiptoo, a training partner of defending champion Sabastian Sawe.
There have, however, been several withdrawals from the British contingent. Marc Scott and George James are both out of the men’s race, while Abbie Donnelly, Charlotte Purdue and Natasha Wilson have withdrawn from the women’s field. Spain’s Laura Luengo will also no longer compete.
They follow the earlier withdrawal of Olympic champion and 2023 London winner Sifan Hassan.
One addition to the elite women’s field is Bahrain’s national record-holder Eunice Chebichii Chumba, who boasts a personal best of 2:20:02.
The women’s field is headed by world record-holder Tigst Assefa alongside major champions such as Peres Jepchirchir and Hellen Obiri.
In the men’s race, defending champion Sawe faces a formidable line-up that includes Kiplimo, Tamirat Tola and Joshua Cheptegei, as well as a strong British group led by Cairess, Mahamed Mahamed and Philip Sesemann.
