Alex Yee “Misses Goal” at London but Hits Impressive Time
Olympic gold medalist Alex Yee made his marathon debut in style today at the London Marathon, finishing 14th overall in a time of 2:11:08. Yee had hoped to run a bit faster, but despite not hitting his goal, “had the best time doing it,” according to an update the four-time Olympic medalist posted on Instagram.
Despite his triathlon success, Yee is no stranger to elite running. He’s a sub-28 minute 10,000 m runner (he ran 27:51 in 2018) and ran 13:29.18 for 5,000 m in 2019. He’s represented Great Britain’s national track and cross country teams.
Yee won the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics and helped Great Britain take gold in the mixed relay. In Paris he won gold in the individual race, then was part of Great Britain’s bronze medal mixed relay team. He would go on to take his first triathlon world championship last October.
Earlier this year Yee announced that he was looking to take on “new challenges,” and told the BBC that today’s race “was one of the best experiences of his life.”
“An amazing experience but it was hard at the end,” he continued. “Emotions about time will come afterwards, but the main thing for me today was to enjoy it, do something unknown and embrace it. I did that to (the) best of my ability.”
Yee was on track for a sub-2:09 performance for the first 25 km, but struggled over the last 10 km. He went through the first half-marathon in 1:04:19, and managed to run each 5 km until that point in 15:36 or faster, but “slowed” to 16:04 and 16:15 for the 5 km splits between 30 and 40 km. (Must be nice to “slow” to that pace in a marathon, right?)
Yee would finish as the second British athlete behind Mahamed Mahamed, who was ninth. The race was won by Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe, who took the tape in 2:02:27, ahead of Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo (2:03:37) and Kenya’s Alexander Mutiso Munyao (2:04:20). Two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge finished sixth in 2:05:25.
Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa won the women’s race in a new “women’s only” world record time of 2:15:50 ahead of Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei (2:18:43) and Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan (2:18:59).
Fast Triathletes Over the Marathon
In terms of Olympic triathletes, Yee’s performance appears to be the fastest ever over the marathon distance. American Greg Billington, who competed in the Rio Olympics, ran 2:15:31 in 2020. Here’s a look at some other multi sport athletes who have run quick marathon times:
- Malindi Elmore (CAN) ran 2:23:30 at the Berlin Marathon in 2023 and finished third at IRONMAN Arizona in 2016 in a time of 8:57.
- Italy’s Sara Dossena competed at World Triathlon events for many years before setting her sights on the marathon. She ran 2:24:00 at the Nagoya Marathon in 2019.
- 2016 Olympic gold medalist Gwen Jorgensen turned to running after her Rio win, making her debut with a 2:41:01 at the New York City Marathon. Her PB is 2:36:23, which she ran in Chicago in 2018.
- Bermudan IRONMAN champion Tyler Butterfield represented his country at the 2018 Commonwealth Games marathon (2:26:29), but set his PB of 2:21:47 at the Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon in 2019.
- Portugal’s Vanessa Fernandes took the silver medal in the triathlon at the Beijing Games and ran a 2:31:25 marathon in Valencia in 2015.
- Jackie Gallagher (AUS) won the triathlon world championship in 1996, then went on to win the bronze medal in the marathon at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and finished 11th at the Boston Marathon that same year. She ran 2:32:40 in Nagoya in 2004.
- IRONMAN world champ Erin Baker ran a 2:33:49 marathon in Los Angeles in 1992.
- 2012 Olympic gold medalist Nicola Spirig (she took silver in 2016 behind Jorgensen) ran a 2:37:12 marathon in Zurich in 2014.
- Canadian Tristan Woodfine was a top-ranked junior triathlete before turning his sights on running. He ran 2:10:39 at the Houston Marathon last year.
Good for Alex. Triathlon is a hard sport to get main stream recognition in.
Here’s hoping he does well in Spotty
I think the BBC will favour giving it to Keely Hodgkinson and will hype her up to get it.
Its become a bit of a joke in sports circles who actually gets this award to be fair.
Still weird seeing Alex on Skysports, to my knowledge they’ve never touched Triathlon.
Terrible presentation but massive achievement
I like the all caps italics with black stroked text and a cute cursivey font thrown on top for good measure.
I think that’s a PTN post though, so Kyle is still learning. Next time try bevel and emboss baby!
But I do have to say his post was better than the apparently racist AI assumptions when I asked it to make a sportsman of the year post with triathlete Alex Yee in a British theme.
Agreed, its nice exposure he got on a well watched mainstream sports channel, but no proper awards ceremony?
Anyway, Alex is 66/1 to win BBC sports personality, again I think that Hodgkinson is nailed on, she’s the BBCs blue eyed girl at the moment, but 66/1 is worth a few quid based on Alex getting this award I reckon.
Yee = 135k on insta
Hodgkinson - 516k on insta
As you say: ‘nailed on’ for SPOTY with or without BBC hype. Taking 66/1 on Yee is a poor bet.
A month ago the BBC mag listed her, an F1 driver called Norris who won’t win and a teenage darts phenom. Yee did not get a shout out (tho’ deserved one).
She’s really good to look at, id probably find her Instagram more interesting than Yee’s to be fair!
Its only money I won on Alistair podiuming, Alistair actually got down to the final 3 after he won Rio, the final voting is put down to the public and you never know how they’ll vote is worth the punt on a 66/1, ill guarantee that price will come down dramatically over the next few weeks, Alistair retiring will put Triathlon into the heads of the casual sports fan and Yee may pick up some of the Brownlee nostalgia.
Very unlikely a triathlete will win SPOTY. They are not well known enough.
Alistair did not come second because of his Olympic win, it was because he dragged his brother over the line at Cozumel.
Are you Fred Flintstone in disguise?
I think he deserves the Olympic moment award.
Not sure if anyone is aware but when Alex ran through transition to take the bell at the end of the penultimate lap, Alistair leaned over the barrier and shouted at Alex to believe in himself and anything could happen (Wilde blowing up).
Alex said that gave him an extra click and to give it one last push to close the gap.
I never knew that, proper passing of the torch type moment, hopefully Yee can reaccount this, as Alistair hands him his BBC SPOTY award next month!