Olympic champion on suffering, seeking personal and physical growth in Sunday’s race and his 93-year-old grandad who still does Parkrun
There is a beautiful book about suffering on Alex Yee’s coffee table in his front room on the outskirts of Loughborough. It’s a massive book about cycling and riding up imposing mountains that look gorgeous in black-and-white photographs even as they bring down almost unbearable pain on those cyclists brave and crazy enough to confront them. Yee, the Olympic triathlon champion, is steeling himself for a new start as a novice long-distance runner who will enter similarly dark terrain in the London Marathon on Sunday.
“The nerves are definitely there but I’m excited too,” Yee says in his thoughtful yet exuberant way. “Honestly, it’s excitement about the unknown. As elite athletes we’re used to hurting ourselves and going through that pain. I’ve been in some dark places before and, in a weird way, I’m probably quite looking forward to experiencing this different kind of pain. I’m excited, rather than daunted.”
