Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee is set to race his debut marathon in London this April, and all-time running great Eliud Kipchoge recently told The Guardian that wants to mentor the young Brit. Kipchoge will also be racing the 2025 London Marathon, an event that he has won three times.
Kipchoge’s resume
Kipchoge is widely considered to be the greatest marathoner of all time, and when you look at his resume, it’s pretty obvious why. He has won 11 World Marathon Majors, two Olympic gold medals (in Rio in 2016 and Tokyo in 2021), and he has an official marathon PB of 2:01:09, which is the second-fastest marathon of all time.
On top of all that, Kipchoge is the only human to have run under two hours in the marathon. He accomplished this feat in 2019, when he ran 1:59:40 in a controlled (and therefore unofficial) event—the Ineos 1:59 Challenge—in Vienna, Austria. He is one of the most remarkable athletes—not just runners—of the past century, and Yee is likely quite thrilled to know that he could have the chance to meet, speak with, and learn from him.
A legendary mentor
In his interview with The Guardian, Kipchoge said he admires the young triathlon champion. “I’d love to know him more,” he said. “I’d like to meet him before the race and share the lives we live. I’ll give my time when I’m in London to sit with him and share a meal, have a coffee.”
Yee and Kipchoge may come from different backgrounds and compete in different settings, but they have both expressed a desire to share the love of sport and running with the world. Kipchoge spoke to that, stating that their proposed meeting “will be about humanity, about the love of sport that is running. How are we going to sell the sport of running? I think it will be a pure discussion. I’m looking forward to it.”
Yee takes the gold medal in Paris. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn
Kipchoge continued, changing from the general topic of running to the more specific conversation of Yee’s first marathon. When it came to tips for the Brit, he said, “My advice is get to the starting line, start the race, enjoy. Make sure to train very well and enjoy the distance.”
Yee has a few months to go before the April 27 race, but he has stated that he has high hopes for the marathon and is eyeing a finish somewhere between 2:07 and 2:10. That’s not quite as fast as Kipchoge’s 2:01:09 PB, but if he can pull off a time in that goal range, it will be an absolutely stellar debut at the distance.
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