Hellen Obiri has studied race videos from the London Marathon. She’s talked at length with her coach, who has competed along the scenic course.So in some ways, the decorated Kenyan runner’s London debut on Sunday feels like any other race. And just like every other race she’s in, Obiri will be a favorite — she won the New York Marathon in a course-record time in November — and she could make a run at setting the world record along the fast and flat route.The time to beat stands at 2 hours, 9 minutes, 56 seconds, which was turned in by Ruth Chepng’etich in October 2024 at the Chicago Marathon. This course is well-suited for a fast time, too, as Paula Radcliffe set the world record in London in 2003 and held it for 16 years.To prepare for a speedy performance, Obiri left the elevation and hills of Boulder, Colorado, for four weeks to train in the warmth and relative flatness of Phoenix.“When you trust the progress, anything can happen,” said the 36-year-old Obiri, who is from Kisii, Kenya, and now resides in Boulder. “But for me, I’m looking forward to just running a good race.”It’s another step toward her loftier ambitions — gold at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. That particular medal is pretty much the only thing missing from a running career that began at 14 and has taken her around the world.To think, she wanted to be a basketball player. That’s why she still shoots jumpers in the gym — when she’s not training, of cou …
