ATHLETICS Revealed: The ingredients that fueled Obiri to Boston Marathon victory against all odds

The Kenyan had to make sacrifices and put in several changes in her preparations before upsetting the strong field.

Hellen Obiri credited her coach Dathan Ritzenhein for her Boston Marathon victory, saying she did not even want to be in the race.

Obiri, the only woman to have won world titles in indoor track, outdoor track, and cross-country and has six wins in eight half-marathons, upset a strong field to claim victory in Boston after clocking 2:21:38 in just her second-ever marathon.

“I feel very happy to have won this race. I didn’t want to come for this race but my coach convinced me,” Obiri said after the race on Monday. “My mind was somewhere else but he encouraged me and expressed his belief in me. He told me I had trained well and I would perform well but I was hesitant.”

Changing coaches and training base

Obiri enlisted the services of Ritzenhein, the retired American long-distance runner, and current head coach of On Athletics Club. Joining the new stable meant switching her training from her Ngong base to the United States.

It was a big change to move from Kenya to Boulder, Colorado but her new management felt that is what she needed for her first Marathon assault last November, which unfortunately, did not go to plan as she finished a disappointing sixth in New York at a time of 2:25:49, two minutes behind the winner, her compatriot Sharon Lokedi.

She would move to Kenya after the loss in New York as she worked on getting her whole family to the US while continuing with her training. Being far away from her coach was not easy and she could at times run quicker than needed but since there was no one close, she thought she was doing the right thing.

Strict training programme

“When I went back to Kenya for four months after the marathon, Dathan was sending me a programme, but he wasn’t there physically to say, ‘You can’t go crazy, control yourself',” Obiri told the New York Times this month. “It’s important to have Dathan here telling me, ‘Don’t go crazy, you are doing this, go like this,’” she added, noting how her coach improves her form.

That training paid off as she returned to the US and won the New York City Half Marathon on March 19 in a course-record time of 1:07:21. The following day, she moved to Boulder with her family.

Nine days later, she joined her new teammates in training, linking up with Joe Klecker, a runner who focuses on the 5,000m and 10,000m, which meant doing 18 miles (28.9km). Obiri did those 18, plus another seven, all at a pace that hovered around 5:35 per mile, the equivalent of a marathon around 2:26.

Importance of regularly refueling

During the runs, Ritzenhein drove his pickup truck and stopped periodically to shout encouragement and hand Obiri water bottles.

Regularly refueling was one of the hardest things for her to master, Obiri said a few days before flying to Boston. In Kenya, she would often do 20-mile (32km) runs without any water, gels, or electrolytes at all. Now, she has become accustomed to a plan. “Four sips every five kilometers,” she added.

Having family around

With her family in the US, training became more enjoyable as she was more settled. Her husband Tom Nyaundi and daughter Tania traveled with her when she came back ahead of the New York Half Marathon.

This was a big relief given last year, the nine-hour time difference between Colorado and Kenya, took its toll on her as she was often missing her family’s presence and could only keep in touch via the phone.

It, therefore, acted as an extra source of motivation when they were in Boston to watch her cross the finish line first and not on TV as it has been the case before.

With all these ingredients, it is safe to assume the journey has just begun for Obiri’s dominance over the 42km race.