After four consecutive years competing in the New York City Marathon, including wins in 2023 and 2025, Hellen Obiri knows the course like the back of her hand.
But as the 36-year-old Kenyan champion prepares to defend her NYC Marathon title on Sunday, Nov. 1, she knows familiarity and confidence alone won't guarantee the result.
"It's a marathon. You can't underrate anybody and anybody can win," Obiri told USA TODAY Sports. "So for me, what I have right now is pressure."
Obiri, who played netball in Kenya before deciding to pursue running, is the only woman to win world titles in indoor track, outdoor track and cross country. She started her career competing in the 800, the 1,500, the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. But Obiri said she always wondered
how far her body could go.
In 2022, Obiri joined Swiss sportswear brand On's Athletic Training Club and moved to Boulder, Colorado, to train with Dathan Ritzenhein. That same year, Obiri made her marathon debut in New York City, placing sixth. She won the race in 2023, finished as runner-up in 2024, and set a new course record (02:19:51) while capturing her second title in 2025.
Although she relishes her NYC Marathon titles, Obiri also has her sights set on a different achievement: winning Olympic gold at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. She made her Olympic debut for Kenya in 2012, won Olympic silver medals in the 5,000 at the 2016 and 2021 Games, then won bronze in the marathon at the 2024 Paris Games.
If Obiri qualifies for the 2028 Games, it will be her fifth Olympics.
"Winning the Olympics will be a lifetime title," Obiri said. "I can say somebody won the Olympics in 1984. When somebody (asks) you who won a major marathon in 1984, sometimes you have to go into Google and see who won. So I think if you have won everything, the major marathons, and you are missing the Olympic title, the Olympic title will be much more precious to you."
Kenya will send a maximum of three women's marathon runners to the 2028 Olympics and qualification is not a given. Obiri said winning a major marathon in 2027 is paramount to making the Olympic team. This year's NYC Marathon will help gauge her fitness level and guide her training program for the next year.
Right now, Obiri is focused on staying healthy and balancing her running career with being a mother to her 11-year-old daughter.
"Apart from being an athlete, I have another big role to play out here," Obiri said. "When you go to the track, when you are training, you are an athlete. But when you come home, your family needs you. Your daughter needs you."
Obiri said the New York marathon is like her "second home," but described it as the toughest course of the major marathons with its difficult corners and hills. Given how familiar Obiri is with the course, her biggest challenge is not to let her mind outpace her feet.
"I have that course in my mind. From mile one to mile 26, I know everything that will happen right away," Obiri said. "You can't say, 'I need to think about winning,' or, 'I need to think about mile 24.' Every step I take one mile at a time."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hellen Obiri ready to defend NYC Marathon title on path to L.A. Games
