The 35-year-old is currently training in Kenya after returning from the US and has revealed one of the main reasons for her decision to come back home.
Two-time Boston Marathon champion Hellen Obiri admits the harsh weather conditions in the United States were among the main reasons for her decision to shift training base to Kenya.
Obiri opted to return home to continue her preparations for the 2025 Boston Marathon, which will take place on April 21, as she looks to join the exclusive list of runners who have won the race for three straight years.
The 35-year-old has been based in the US since shifting from Kenya in 2022 to link up with coach Dathan Ritzenhein based in Colorado, helping mould her into a top marathoner that now has three wins under her belt.
Hellen Obiri has confirmed that she will skip the 2025 World Championships and explained the reasons behind her decision.
However, amid the pressure of defending her title, Obiri did not want to take chances and decided to return to familiar surroundings once the US became inhabitable due to the freezing conditions.
“It would have been difficult for me to keep training in the US because there is a very strong winter and it is snowing most of the time and this would force me to skip some days,” Obiri told Telecomasia.net.
“That is why I opted to come back to Kenya and start my preparations here then travel back for the final phase towards race day.”
The 2023 New York Marathon winner admits there is immense pressure to defend her title as there are strong competitors gunning for her crown, among them Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi, Edna Kiplagat and Sharon Cherop, as well as Ethiopians Amane Beriso and Yalemzerf Yehualaw.
“There is pressure of course because there is a very strong field of athletes from Kenya and Ethiopia. But I take this positively because it is pushing me to work harder towards defending my title,” added Obiri, who has a 10-week training programme in Kenya.
“It is my ambition to make history and win it three consecutive times and there is pressure being the defending champion because every eye is looking at you. But I am working towards that, I am motivated by this ambition.”
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Here’s all you need to know about Kenyan marathon great Hellen Obiri.
Obiri is seeking to join Fatuma Roba as the only runners to have claimed three uninterrupted wins in Boston after the Ethiopian did it from 1997-1999.
