For the last six weeks, Hellen Obiri has increased her training load from 180 to 200 and now averaging 210 kilometers of running per week, her goal a statement performance at Next month’s New York Marathon.
By preference, the double world 5000m champion would have loved her seven-year-old daughter, Tania to be with her in Boulder, Colorado, wistfully,that will not be the case, well atleast until January next year.
“There are visa issues and school which has to be factored in, in as much as I would have loved to have my family here, that will not be possible,” Obiri enlightened People Sport in an exclusive interview.
She is not alone though, she has new teammates, pertinently, she is surrounded by a big and elite team from her new sponsors On Athletics Club (OAC), headed by led by former distance runner Dathan Ritzenhein.
Former two-time world marathon champion Edna Kiplagat who also resides in Boulder is arguably her biggest companion, the 42-year-old is someone Obiri regards as a close confidant.
“Training has been great. I am very excited about the NYC marathon. I mainly train with some men as the OAC track runners were on a break after the Track and Field season. Dathan sometimes runs with me or goes on the bike. I cherish some runs with my friend Edna,” Obiri told People Sport.
The longevity of the 2011 and 2013 IAAF World Champion in the marathon who has over the years established herself as an elite marathon runner with wins at the Los Angeles and New York City Marathons in 2010 is something Obiri want to emulate.
“You can’t get better advise than form the legend herself, training and being able to call her a friend is rejuvenating, “she adds.
Dathan speaks highly of his biggest asset, the double world champion on the track, Obiri. He clarifies that Boulder’s high-altitude, rolling trails and temperate climate make it an ideal location for distance runners. There, Obiri joined a relatively new team in OAC, which was launched by the Swiss sportswear brand On in 2020.
“Every day I show up and wonder how Hellen is going to amazing me that day! She is completely dialed for NYC. We’ve spent a lot of early morning out there and it’s been a great couple months of getting to know each other and trust in this new process. It’s really amazing to me how talented and focused she is,” he reflects on their working relationship.
He adds,” Coming off the World Championships this summer, we knew Hellen still had the wheels. But it had been a big increase in total running volume but also the volume and intensity of the long runs and workouts.”
Her move to the United States is not short term as many would expect, she has given it a thought and has settled on staying here long.
” I have been planning to move to the US for several years. I have family here and I think it will be a good place for my daughter to grow up. Training is very similar to Kenya. The biggest challenge is to be away from my family,” she reveals.
The withdrawal of Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir from defending her New York City Marathon has to a bigger extend got the Obiri’s camp murmuring, and possibly they feel it might be bigger than just a debut.
Jepchirchir, 29, is the only person to win the Olympic, Boston and New York City Marathons in a career, doing so in a nine-month span in 2021 and 2022. She won New York City last November in 2:22:39.
Asked about incentives lined up incase Obiri spices up the occasion and win the marathon, the AOC team was skeptical.
“We are unable to disclose this information,” was their answer.
So, six weeks after a great run at the Great North Run in Newcastle, double world 5000m champion Obiri is hoping for a similar performance at November’s New York Marathon in two weeks time
After much success in the women’s 5000m and 10,000m, Obiri has transitioned to the road races and will be making her full marathon debut on November 6 in the Big Apple.
“I am so excited to be running in my first marathon in New York. From here (Great North Run), I am going to go back and prepare well and to ensure I am healthy and ready for that day. Considering it is my debut, there is need to train well. I know there will be many good runners in the race but for me it is all about my preparations,” the World 10,000m silver medalist said
Starting on Staten Island, the challenging course undulates through New York’s five boroughs before finishing down Fifth Avenue and into Central Park, Dathan says the eagerly awaited debut in New York will be the first indicator of how Obiri’s track-running pedigree translates over the full marathon
Kenyan athletes have dominated the event over the past decade with eight winners in the women’s race since 2010,it is only buoyant to be hoping Obiri can add to that legacy.
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