Ex-US Marathoner Reveals How New-Found Friendship With Hellen Obiri Yielded New York Marathon Win

When Hellen Obiri crossed the finish line to win the 2025 New York Marathon, it was not just her family and fans celebrating but also a lady who had been part of the preparations.

Obiri clocked 2:19:51 to win the race, shattering the previous course record of 2:22:31, that had been held by fellow Kenyan Margaret Okayo since 2003, and claiming her second title at the event following her win in 2023.

Among those enjoying the victory was former American marathoner Laura Thweatt, who joined On Athletics Club based in Denver, Colorado as an assistant coach in March this year.

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Thweatt was given an opportunity by the stable’s head coach Dathan Ritzenhein, who has been Obiri’s coach since she transitioned to marathons in 2022, having sought a role in the sport after retirement.

The 37-year-old is an accomplished long-distance runner who has featured in 5,000m, 10,000m, half and full marathons, including at New York and London, which made her a valuable addition to the coaching team.

Thweatt admits working with Obiri, a two-time world champion and Olympics medalist, was intimidating given her achievements, having won titles on track and on the road as well as indoors but forged a great relationship that yielded the 2025 New York Marathon win.

"I was pretty intimidated when I came in because I didn't know what I had to offer someone like Hellen, what she could need from me, and how I could bridge that gap with my own experience and career and everything I had learned with where she is in hers," Thweatt told New York Road Runners.

“These are some of the best athletes in the world and I knew I just wanted to work at building relationships where they felt like they could trust me, and they had this safe space to communicate with me so that I could help them navigate not only the physical piece of what they do in the training, but also the psychological piece and the mental side of the sport.”

The American says she has now got comfortable around Obiri and the other female runners in camp as it is an experience and a relationship she never had during her running days.

"I hardly worked with any female coaches throughout my entire career, so it's really cool for me to get this opportunity to be a female coach at this elite level and just get to know Hellen as a person—she's funny, she has a great attitude, she's easy to work with, and she just enjoys the process,” she added.

“She [Obiri] still has so much passion spanning a 20-plus-year career. She's definitely becoming a friend and just another woman in the sport that I'm very inspired and empowered by."

Reflecting on the moment of victory, when Obiri crossed the finish line first in New York last month, Thweatt shared some details of her conversation with the Kenyan that gave her confidence that she would win.

"She told me that during the race, right before she decided to make her move at the end, she was just like 'I felt so strong, and I knew that I had had one of my best builds yet, and I just was in a different place than I had been in a long time, and I had this confidence again, that like I was the best and I could win,'" said Thweatt.

With the new-found friendship, Thweatt and Obiri will now be plotting further glory in 2026 when the Kenyan will be among the female marathoners to watch out for once more.