Alex Yee goes No.2 on UK marathon rankings with 2:06:38 in Valencia

[ad_1]

Olympic triathlon champion now has Mo Farah’s British document in his sights after spectacular run in Spain on Sunday as Phil Sesemann, Jonny Mellor and Natasha Wilson additionally shine.

Alex Yee is the reigning Olympic triathlon champion however he was clearly born to run. Racing in solely his second marathon – in Valencia on Sunday (Dec 7) – he clocked 2:06:38 to go No.2 on the UK all-time rankings. Solely Mo Farah, with 2:05:11 from Chicago in 2018, has gone faster.

When Farah was at his peak, Yee featured on the entrance cowl of AW as an English Colleges cross-country champion. Since then he has popped up on our cowl a couple of occasions regardless of his essential focus lately being triathlon.

Now, following this glowing efficiency on the Spanish streets of Valencia, will he be tempted to have a crack at Farah’s mark in London? Yee’s marathon debut, in spite of everything, got here in London this yr with 2:11:08.

Within the build-up to Valencia, Yee had run a barely disappointing 61:29 half-marathon in the identical Spanish metropolis in late October. However on Sunday he went via midway in 63:30 earlier than operating the second half in 63:08.

Within the British capital subsequent spring he might face Emile Cairess, the Olympic fourth-placer who, with a greatest of two:06:46, has now been relegated to No.3 on the UK rankings. Not that Cairess will begrudge Yee, as the 2 have educated collectively in current weeks together with Phil Sesemann – and Cairess helped tempo his mates to round 35km on Sunday.

The ever-improving Sesemann additionally excelled in Valencia as he clocked 2:07:11 to take six seconds off the lifetime greatest he ran in Amsterdam in late October. It additionally means the Leeds runner has crept previous Steve Jones’ long-standing British document of two:07:13 from 1985.

Additionally thriving within the quick situations, Jonny Mellor improved his greatest of two:09:06 to 2:08:45 simply three weeks earlier than his thirty ninth birthday. Mellor, who has a historical past of unhealthy luck in the case of choice for main championships, it’s a well timed run given there are Commonwealth Video games and European Championships on residence soil in 2026.

Such was the general commonplace in Valencia, although, Yee positioned seventh, Sesemann thirteenth and Mellor twenty second. Up forward, the boys’s general victory went to John Korir, because the Kenyan clocked 2:02:24, including to his Boston Marathon victory from earlier this yr.

Runner-up Amanal Petros ran a German document of two:04:03. In third, Awet Kibrab ran a Norwegian document of two:04:24 on his marathon debut, whereas Suguru Osako clocked a Japanese document of two:04:55 in fourth.

Quick occasions in Valencia are virtually assured and on a day of PBs and nationwide information, Natasha Wilson (née Cockram) ran a Welsh document of two:24:21, taking virtually two minutes off her greatest and rising to No.8 on the UK all-time rankings.

First lady residence was Joyciline Jepkosgei in a course document and 2025 world main mark of two:14:00 after drawing away from fellow Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir within the closing kilometres, the runner-up clocking 2:14:43 as Chloé Herbiet of Belgium completed third in 2:20:38.

Jepkosgei has a great historical past of operating in Valencia as she broke the half-marathon world document within the metropolis in 2017.

Additional British performances included Lily Partridge with 2:27:54, Verity Hopkins with 2:31:21 and Jenny Nesbitt with 2:32:48, whereas Alice Braham, the mum-of-four and former GB junior worldwide, clocked 2:37:05 aged 49.