Hellen Obiri, a two-time Boston Marathon champion and native of Kenya, took the win Friday in her debut at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race.
Obiri won the women’s elite division with a time of 31 minutes, 29 seconds in the 56th running of the Peachtree Road Race.
With an outlook as one of the more respected runners in her sport, along with her growing list of credentials as a two-time world champion, Olympic silver medalist (5,000 meters) and 2019 world cross country champion, she’s not a stranger to both long- and short-distance races.
She is, however, a first-timer when it comes to the Peachtree and has plans to defend her new title.
“It’s a beautiful city. I have to come back and say ‘hi’ to people,” Obiri said, feeding off excitement from the crowd cheering her on.
Although, Obiri is a renowned champion, this race wasn’t a walk in the park to prepare for.
Just like any race, it took time and dedication to adjust to, while also studying many of the favorites who were geared up for the title.
Possessing an overall personal best of 30:15, which is better than the 2019 course record of 30:22, Obiri also had to look out for the fastest woman on the field, fellow Kenyan Cintia Chepngeno (30:08).
“For the first time, my mind was like, ‘How can I go? How can I do it?’ Because it’s a challenging course, and we have so many elite athletes, Obiri said. “So, for me it was just to stay patient towards the end and work extra-hard.”
Her love of the city, the energy of the crowd and her overall experience training for this race resulted in big smiles afterward and a message about her plan to return.
“When you’re a defending champion, you have to come back and win the title. ... It motivates me to come back next year, and motivated the people around me.”
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