Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee confirmed as pacemaker for 2026 TCS London Marathon
Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee will take on pacemaking duties at the 2026 TCS London Marathon, helping to set the pace for Emile Cairess, the top British athlete in the field.
Yee will be returning a favour to Cairess who paced him for 21 miles at last December’s Valencia Marathon and helped the triathlon star to finish in a time of 2:06:38 – the second fastest time ever by a British athlete.
Yee said: “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. 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 was fourth in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games marathon, is the third-fastest Brit of all time over 26.2-mile distance with a personal best (PB) of 2:06:46.
Yee made his full TCS London Marathon debut in 2025 when he finished as the second British finisher and 14th overall in 2:11:08 in what was his home-town marathon.
Yee said: “It was an incredible experience to race the TCS London Marathon last year. 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.”
Other confirmed TCS London Marathon pacemakers this year include Alex Bell, the recent winner of the GetPRO Bath Half who has been named in the Great Britain team for the World Athletics Road Running Championships half marathon in Copenhagen in September.
Male pacemakers at the head of the field will include Oscar Kiplimo, the older brother of Jacob Kiplimo, who was a bronze medallist in the 5,000m at the 2022 World Championship, and Andrea Kiptoo who is a training partner of defending champion Sabastian Sawe.
Elite field updates
A number of British athletes have withdrawn from the 2026 TCS London Marathon. In the men’s race, Marc Scott and George James have withdrawn, while in the women’s field, Abbie Donnelly, Charlotte Purdue and Natasha Wilson are all out. Also withdrawing is Spain’s Laura Luengo. They follow the withdrawal of Sifan Hassan (NED), the reigning Olympic marathon champion and 2023 TCS London Marathon winner.
A new addition to the elite women’s field is Eunice Chebichii Chumba who is Bahrain’s national record holder with a personal best of 2:20:02.