Yee delighted to overcome his 'dark moments' in the capital

ALEX Yee endured more “dark moments” on his London Marathon debut than during his Olympic triathlon-winning turn in Paris but still declared it an experience of a lifetime, writes Rachel Steinberg.

- Rachel Steinberg.

The 27-year-old Londoner, who is a member of Crystal Palace Tri-athletes, crossed the finish in two hours, 11 minutes and eight seconds, good enough for 14th place in his first attempt at the distance, in a race won for the first time by Kenyan Sabastian Sawe in 2:02:27 - the second-fastest time in London Marathon history.

Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa smashed the women-only world record by 26 seconds en route to gold, while Olympic distance runner Eilish McColgan set a new Scottish record on her own belated London Marathon debut.

“It was seriously tough,” said Yee, “but probably one of the best moments in my life. Just the feeling of everyone, that experience, I can’t really put into words. The experience of running into London, the crowds.

“I expected them to be good, but that was a whole other level. I'm just immensely proud.”