Olympic Champ Alex Yee to Pace British Marathon Record Bid

When Olympic gold medalist Alex Yee lines up at the London Marathon on April 26, he won't be chasing his own glory but helping a friend chase history.

Yee will serve as a pacemaker for elite marathoner Emile Cairess, who's aiming to shatter Mo Farah's British record of 2:05:11 set in 2018. The twist? Cairess did the exact same thing for Yee last summer in Valencia, where his pacing helped Yee clock an incredible 2:06:38, the second-fastest marathon time ever by a British athlete.

"Emile is a great runner, and he was a massive help to me at last year's Valencia Marathon," Yee explained. "My hope is that I can repay him for that help by supporting him as much as I can."

Cairess, who holds a personal best of 2:06:46, is Britain's third-fastest marathoner ever and finished fourth at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Now he's got his sights set on making history in London's streets, and he'll have his Olympic champion friend by his side for part of the journey.

The Ripple Effect

This friendship between two world-class athletes shows how collaboration beats competition in building something bigger. Rather than viewing each other as rivals, Yee and Cairess have chosen mutual support, taking turns helping each other reach new heights.

Yee made his marathon debut in London last year, finishing 14th with a time of 2:11:08. "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," he said.

The triathlon champion won't run the full 26.2 miles this time, but he's excited to experience that electric London energy again. He'll be joined by other experienced pacemakers, including Oscar Kiplimo, whose brother Jacob holds the half marathon world record.

In a sport often defined by individual achievement, Yee and Cairess are proving that lifting each other up creates the kind of magic that breaks records.