By Douglas Maina, Special Correspondent, Boston
Kenyan marathon queen Hellen Obiri is busy clocking the miles and working on her speed in the final two weeks of high altitude training in Ngong as she prepares to defend her Bank of America Boston Marathon title on April 21.
The Paris Olympic Games marathon bronze medalist, winner of the 2023 New York Marathon and runner up in the “Big Apple” last year, is scheduled to fly out of Nairobi to Boston on April 16, ready for her title defence.
Traditionally, Obiri trains and lives in Boulder, Colorado, USA, but – before catching my flight back to Boston – I caught up with her in Ngong where she has shifted her training to this year, opting to approach the 2025 Boston Marathon in different fashion.
She will lead a star-studded Kenyan team expected to spice up the historic race, held annually in Boston, one of the oldest cities in the United States of America.
The Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest annual marathon and ranks as one of the world’s best-known road racing events.
It is one of seven Abbott World Marathon Majors (WMM), the others being New York City, London, Berlin, Tokyo, Chicago and the new kid of the block, Sydney, which makes its WMM debut this August.
The Boston race attracts an estimated 500,000 spectators along the route, making it New England’s most viewed sporting event.
It has a reputation of being one of the toughest, characterized by rolling hills and often choppy weather.
The starting line is the city of Hopkinton, centrally located in New England and nestled 26.2 miles west of downtown Boston.
After winning the 2023 and 2024 Boston Marathons, Obiri will attempt to become the fourth woman in history to secure three consecutive victories.
The others who have achieved this enviable feat include Americans Bobbi Gibb (1966-1968), Sara Mae Berman (1969-1971), German Uta Pipping (1994-1996), and Ethiopian Fatuma Roba (1997-1999).
During the 2024 event, the 35-year-old Obiri ran a spirited race to lead a Kenyan sweep of the podium, crossing the finish line in two hours, 22 minutes and 37 seconds, with compatriot Sharon Lokedi hot on her heels, claiming second place in 2:22:45.
The Boston win set Obiri up for the subsequent Paris Olympics, where she earned a bronze medal at the Marathon.
Coming to Boston, she will be leading an elite team of Kenyan women including Edna Kiplagat (personal best 2:19:50 London, 2012), Sharon Lokedi, Irine Cheptai (Pb 2:17:51 Chicago, 2024), Mary Ngugi (Pb 2:20:22 London, 2022), Sharon Cherop (Pb 2:22:28 Berlin, 2013), Viola Chepngeno (Pb 2:23:23 Cape town, 2024), among others.
I caught up with the always radiant athlete as she trained at the foothills of Ngong Hills in the outskirts of Nairobi.
“My training regime is very vigorous, and I find this place very convenient as it is near my home and I am able to train together with other athletes”, said Obiri.
Clocking an average run time of 190 kilometres weekly in training seems natural for the 35-year-old.
Being the only woman to have won world titles in indoor track, outdoor track and cross country, she often draws from her sprinting background, a tactic that gives her the edge, helping her beat her competitors in the last mile sprint of a marathon event.
She also cites advances in athletics technology, which has provided a welcome boost for upcoming athletes.
“For any race, one needs both discipline and patience. A marathon is not a one-time event, it’s a culmination of a lot of long-term preparations and personal commitment,” she advises.
Evans Chebet, a double winner of the event, will lead the Kenyan men’s charge, whose greatest threat will be neighbors Ethiopia, who in 2025 will include last year’s champion Sisay Lemma (2:06:17) and runner up countryman Mohamed Esa.
The soft spoken Chebet will be keen to improve on his third-place finish at last year’s edition and is therefore likely to be one of the Ethiopian’s biggest challengers in Boston.
Also making a return will be 2024 fourth and fifth place finishers John Korir and Albert Korir. John Korir –winner of the 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon – is the younger brother of 2012 Boston champion Wesley Korir.
He will be joined by among others, Cybrian Kotut (2:03:22 Berlin, 2024), Daniel Mateiko (2:04:24 Valencia, 2024).
In addition to the prestige that comes with conquering this event, the $150,000 prize money in 2025 will certainly warm up the runners’ spikes in this premium marathon, arguably the commonwealth of Massachusetts most anticipated event.
The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A), the organizers of the event, received a record 36,406 entry applications for the estimated 22,000 qualifier entry slots for this year’s race.
A good portion of the 30,000-runner field for the 2025 race will primarily be filled with runners supporting one of the 150-plus non-profit organizations of the Bank of America Boston Marathon Official Charity Programme.
The event is a huge fundraiser for various charity causes and according to B.A.A, the 2024 Official Charity Program reached a record fundraising level of $45.7 million.
The total philanthropic impact of last year’s race tallied $71.9 million raised.
Since the Official Charity Program’s inception in 1989, more than $550 million has been raised surrounding the Boston Marathon.
(Look out this week for a Special Report on Hellen Obiri’s preparations for Boston Marathon 2025 by our Special Correspondent Victoria Kaigai. Only on Pura Vida Sports Africa!)
Boston Marathon 2025 Kenyan fields:
| Women’s: | PERSONAL BEST |
| Irine Cheptai | 2:17:51 (Chicago, 2024) |
| Edna Kiplagat | 2:19:50 (London, 2012)* |
| Mary Ngugi | 2:20:22 (London, 2022) |
| Hellen Obiri | 2:21:38 (Boston, 2023) |
| Sharon Cherop | 2:22:28 (Berlin, 2013)* |
| Sharon Lokedi | 2:22:45 (Boston, 2024) |
| Viola Chepngeno | 2:23:23 (Capetown, 2024) |
| Stacy Ndiwa | 2:23:42 (Chicago, 2024) |
| Cynthia Limo | 2:25:10 (Hamburg, 2024) |
| Men’s field: | PERSONAL BEST |
| John Korir | 2:02:44 (Chicago, 2024) |
| Evans Chebet | 2:03:00 (Valencia, 2020) |
| Cybrian Kotut | 2:03:22 (Berlin, 2024) |
| Daniel Mateiko | 2:04:24 (Valencia, 2024) |
| Abel Kipchumba | 2:06:49 (Berlin, 2022) |
| Albert Korir | 2:06:57 (New York City, 2023) |
| Wesley Kiptoo | 2:10:28 (Chicago, 2023) |
Based in Worcester, Massachusetts, Douglas Maina contributes exclusive interviews and sideline reports from various locations in the USA. Beyond covering high-profile events in athletics, motorsports and other sports, Douglas is an avid motorsports enthusiast, who religiously follows WRC events. Even when he is away, immersed in his office job, he stays connected to the sports world by always finding elusive back scene stories, and the unseen happenings that are often missed by mainstream media.
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