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Yee Shocks With Marathon Magic

Yee Shocks With Marathon Magic

An Olympic double for Yee? Carbs for women, and big muscles + big engines = ?

Matthew Sharpe
December 09, 2025

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Good morning everyone,

It was a big weekend at Tempo HQ. First, I was completely overwhelmed with your kind messages wishing me well in my retirement. It’s a blessing to have so many incredible folks like yourself in my corner ❤️

Second, I had an absolute blast seeing plenty of familiar faces at 70.3 La Quinta. It was a short but sweet weekend, capped off by my wife Kirsten Kasper’s debut 70.3 - and win!

Professional victories are hard to come by, and I’m incredibly proud of the work she’s put into her comeback from serious hip surgery in March.

And I gotta say, being on the sideline isn’t all that bad 😉

In today’s edition:

🏃‍♂️ As Yee delivers marathon magic - is an Olympic double in the cards?
🍞 Why is proper carb intake so important for women?
🏋️‍♂️ And can big muscles and big aerobic engines truly coexist?

-Matt Sharpe, newsletter editor

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ONE BIG THING

Triathlon Gold Medalist Shocks the World With Marathon Magic

Alex Yee becomes the second-fastest British marathoner - ever - after a 2:06 run in Valencia.

What is it: This past weekend, Olympic gold-medalist Alex Yee (GBR) shocked the endurance world by running a jaw-dropping 2:06:38 marathon.

In doing so, he became the second-fastest British marathoner of all time, sitting only behind Sir Mo Farah.

Sophomore shock: Valencia was only Yee's second attempt at the marathon. In April, he debuted at the London marathon, running a 2:11, a minute or so off his goal of a sub-2:10 performance.

Sensational splits: Near-perfect pacing allowed Yee to enjoy a peak performance. His first half-marathon was a 1:03:32, followed by a negative split of 1:03:04 for the back half.

His slowest 5k split was 15:09, while his quickest was 14:49! 🤯

Training transfer: Although he was training for a single sport, Yee still incorporated plenty of swim and bike training into his weekly program. As this interview reveals, during his London marathon build, he was still swimming 4-5 times, and cycling up to 10 hours per week.

Valencia’s build was similar. However, Yee was also training alongside elite British marathoners Emile Cairess, and Phil Sesemann.

What they’re saying: Eliud Kipchoge - one of the greatest runners ever- commented, “Congratulations Alex, in life we don’t believe in limitations. The future is bright!

“Amazing 👏👏👏” - Killian Jornet
“Hero!💪🏻🔥” - Lucy Charles-Barclay
“Classy big man classy 😮‍💨” - Hayden Wilde

Tempo’s take: Running one 15-minute 5k is incredible. 8ish in a row? Unattainable, but for a select few.

And make no mistake, this is one of THE most impressive endurance feats of this year.

But what does this mean for Yee’s Olympic ambitions? His 2:06 - again, second fastest Brit ever - is well under the GB Olympic standard from Paris at 2:08:10. Could we see Yee attempt a Triathlon/Marathon double in LA28?

The precedent has already been set!

After speaking with someone close to Yee this past weekend, it does sound like he will be returning to Tri with the goal of winning back-to-back gold medals. But the marathon, or even 10km on the track, is certainly in the realm of possibility.

And with the Brit less than 90 seconds off the national record, he might have to delay a return to Tri till after April 26 2026…

Do you think Alex Yee could double at LA28?

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FAVORITES

🍞 Crucial carbs: For active women, carbs aren’t the enemy; they're the fuel that powers training, recovery, and long-term health! This article explains why appropriate carb intake (not low-carb restriction) is key, how carbs support everything from brain function to high-intensity workouts, and why matching intake to training load matters more than any diet trend. [Fuelin]

🏋️‍♂️ Your muscle size: Can big muscles and big aerobic engines truly coexist? While physics puts a hard ceiling on how large and oxidative an individual muscle fiber can be, most athletes are nowhere near that limit. So could you win Mr. Olympia AND the Olympic marathon? Find out here! [Peter Attia]

🚲 Cycling glute activation: Have you been out on the bike and felt like your glutes aren’t pulling their weight? Next time, try this quick mid-ride glute activation to help get the most out of each pedal stroke! [LSM Clinic]

🎓 Double threat: Balancing Mechanical Engineering and Triathlon? No problem for World Triathlon World Cup winner - and British Olympic hopeful - Oliver Conway! So how does he balance rigorous studies and training? Find out here! [Nottingham AC]

🔗 Most clicked link: Want to know about 15 different carbs that can help you enjoy sustained energy and performance? This link, our most-clicked from last edition, will tell you. [The Manual]