After a season of mixed results where she added another Olympics medal to her collection, US-based marathoner Hellen Obiri of Kenya reckons that the best is yet to come from her in distance running.
Obiri, the 2016 Rio and 2021 Tokyo Olympics 5,000 metres silver medallist, claimed her maiden championship medal in the marathon in Paris when she claimed bronze at the 2024 Olympic Games this year.
But with 2025 being a world championships year, Obiri, 35, is already angling for a place in Team Kenya for the 2025 World Athletics Championships scheduled for Tokyo from September 13 to 25 next year.
“When looking forward to a season, one has many expectations but at times things do not go as planned,” Obiri said while reminiscing about the ended 2024 season.
Obiri, the 2017 (London) and 2019 (Doha) world 5,000m champion, reckons that whereas she produced some outstanding results this year, injury setbacks ruined what could have been a glorious season especially at the Paris Olympic Games.
After resounding victories at Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon, and New York City Half Marathon races in February and March respectively, Obiri was in tip-top shape, and she won her third World Marathon Majors title with a successful defence of the Boston Marathon title in April.
“I was 100 percent fit when I resumed training after the Boston race, but I sustained a grade four hip injury, forcing me to stay away for six weeks. I only resumed training at the end of June,” said Obiri, who clocked two hours, 23 minutes and 10 seconds to settle for bronze medal.
Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan glided to a new Olympic record victory of 2:22:55, beating Ethiopian Tigist Assefa by three seconds.
“Six weeks of preparation was not enough for the Olympic Games, but I am glad to have snatched a medal for Kenya even with the injury setback,” said Obiri, who finished second in her defence of the New York City Marathon title on November 3.
Obiri noted that running three marathon races in a season and finishing on the podium in all of them wasn’t an easy thing.
“Competing in the marathon at the Olympics has always been tough ...those conversant with the New York City Marathon know how punishing the course is,” explained Obiri, revealing that she had to stay away for almost a month just to recover after the New York City Marathon.
Obiri, who is based in Boulder, Colorado, has resumed training with easy runs once daily. She plans to embark on intense workouts next month as she fully focusses on competing in marathon races. She plans to compete in at least two World Marathon Majors races next season.
“That will mainly depend on whether or not I am selected in Team Kenya for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. It’s always a great honour to wear the national team colours, and I will proudly take on the challenge if given an opportunity,” said Obiri.
The other objective for the 2019 World Cross Country Championships winner and the 2012 World Indoor Championships 3,000m champion is to improve her personal best in the marathon of 2:21:38 which she recorded in victory in the 2022 Boston Marathon.
Obiri also gave her views about women’s marathon landscape that has for the last five years produced some of the fastest times in history, with five athletes running under two hours and 15 minutes.
Ruth Chepng'etich, the 2019 world marathon champion, made history as the first woman to run a marathon under two hours and 10 minutes with victory in Chicago in 2:09:56 on October 13.
“It took 16 years before Brigid Kosgei broke Paula Radcliffe’s world record of 2:15:25 from London Marathon, running 2:14:18 in 2019 Chicago,” said Obiri.
Obiri noted that when Chepng’etich narrowly missed breaking Kosgei’s world record, running 2:14:18 in 2022 Chicago Marathon, with Amane Beriso of Ethiopia also coming closer in 2022 Valencia Marathon in a time of 2:14:58, nobody dreamt of running a sub-2:12 time in the marathon.
“Assefa set the bar higher, running a new world record of 2:11:53 in 2023 Berlin Marathon before Chepng’etich’s phenomenal run in Chicago this year. It didn’t take two years for the record to fall,” explained Obiri. She has tipped Chepng’etich to break the world record again next year if she commits to it.
Obiri intimates that she won’t be shocked if someone cracks a sub-2:09 time in the marathon next year.
“The advanced shoe technology and training regimes have changed the whole landscape in marathons. Chepng’etich’s 2:09 has really given us motivation,” said Obiri.
