The reigning Olympic and world individual triathlon champion will use the Valencia 10km as preparation for the London Marathon
Alex Yee will compete over 10km in Valencia this Sunday (January 12), marking a return to standalone road racing for the first time in five years.
The current Olympic and world individual triathlon champion, who boasts a 10,000m personal best on the track of 27:51.94, is one of many British entries for the Valencia 10km and will use it as preparation for the London Marathon.
Last month, Yee announced that he would make his marathon debut over 26.2 miles at this year’s edition in the British capital.
“London for me was a no-brainer,” Yee said. “It’s a place that has given me so much as a child and I remember racing the mini-marathon multiple times. It was one of my biggest and most exciting races of the year.
“With the London Marathon being such a big part of my life growing up, I’d love to come back and race well here. The marathon has always been an itch I’ve wanted to scratch and there wasn’t another place I wanted to start that journey.”
Safe to say, Yee has running pedigree, boasting a personal best of 13:26 over 5km. He also finished 14th for Great Britain over 10,000m at the 2018 European Championships in Berlin.
It will be therefore be fascinating to see what he can produce in the 10km over the weekend.
Marc Scott and Jess Warner-Judd (Getty)
Strength in depth in the British field
Marc Scott and Jess Warner-Judd lead a number of British entries for Valencia.
The traditionally quick course in the Spanish city will see a large number of Brits attempting to lower their personal bests over 10km and climb up the domestic all-time rankings.
In the men’s field, Scott is the quickest Brit with a personal best of 28:03, which sees him place seventh on the UK all-time 10km list.
The 31-year-old ran 28:27 in the Wrexham 10km last season and will aim to be just the fifth Brit to go under the 28-minute barrier over the distance.
Zak Mahamed (Graham Smith)
Zak Mahamed, Ellis Cross and Rory Leonard, who were all part of the GB squad that secured team bronze in the senior race at last month’s European Cross Country Championships, are also down to compete in Valencia.
The British trio boast 10km personal bests of 28:10, 28:40 and 29:03 respectively.
Scott Beattie, who has a best of 13:32 over 5km, makes his 10km debut in Valencia.
Also watch out for Phil Sesemann, the GB Olympic marathon runner who has clocked 2:08:02 over 26.2 miles.
Sesemann’s best for 10km is 28:24 from five years ago but last month the Brit clocked 28:26 in Telford, emphasising he is fine form.
Phil Sesemann (Coros)
In the women’s field, Warner-Judd has every chance of finishing in the top five in Valencia, given her personal 10km personal best is 30:41 and she is fourth on the UK all-time list.
Only Eilish McColgan, Paula Radcliffe and Liz McColgan have gone quicker over the distance than Warner-Judd.
Abbie Donnelly and Amelia Quirk will no doubt hope to break into the top 10 on that list and, having already both gone under 32 minutes for 10km, are more than capable with good runs in Valencia.
Alex Bell (Dave Woodhead)
Alex Bell, who announced last year that she was retiring from track, will compete in just her third ever 10km, having clocked 32:28 and 32:56 on the previous two occasions.
Amy Eloise-Neale – a European indoor 3000m champion – is also on the start line and has recorded a time of 32:35 for 10km.
Lily Partridge, Jenny Nesbitt and Mhairi Maclennan complete the British contingent – the trio have respective 10km personal bests of 31:29, 32:30 and 32:58.
Dominic Lobalu (Getty)
The calibre of international athletes is exceptional
Ethiopians Tadese Worku, Getnet Wale and Samuel Tefera lead an impressive line-up in Valencia.
Worku – a world under-20 3000m champion – has clocked 26:56 for 10km and is joint-12th on the all-time list.
Tefera, who is a double world indoor 1500m champion, makes his much anticipated debut over 10km in the Spanish city.
Don’t be surprised if the European record of 27:04 – currently held by France’s Etienne Daguinos – also falls, given Dominic Lobalu, Isaac Kimeli and Andreas Almgren are all competing.
Lobalu and Almgren are ranked fourth and sixth on the European 10km all-time list, while Kimeli should definitely improve on his best of 28:17 from five years ago.
Fotyen Tesfay (Getty)
The women’s field is headed up Ethiopia’s Fotyen Tesfay and Kenya’s Christine Cheshire.
The pair, with respective bests of 29:54 and 29:56, are the only two athletes in the field to have gone sub-30 minutes over 10km and will likely battle it out for the win.
Warner-Judd is the leading European athlete competing but watch out for Slovenia’s Klara Lukan and France’s Mekdes Woldu.
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