ON releases short film on Hellen Obiri's debut: Hellen Obiri Run A Marathon. Several thoughts

has her form always been like this?

I thought it was odd as well that she moved to the US. Kenya is much better training enviroment especially in the winter with a perfect mix of high altitude and low latitude. Kenya also has much better training partners and many marathon coaches with better results than Ritzenhein. IF she wantes some isolation from her family to train better she could just live in a training camp like Kipchoge, then still vist her family.

If ON pressured her in any way to move that's just cruel and stupid

Think her family is expected to follow. She is friends with Edna Kiplagat who lives in Boulder. If you have money, living in the U.S. is probably a lot easier than living in Kenya. And more opportunities for her daughter, besides running.

its not about the isolation from her family that she wanted. She's moving her whole family across, and happened to be she trained for her first marathon at the same time.

Marathon just isn't her distance - she does two uppercuts for every stride and not even Mohamed Ali has that sort of stamina

You nailed it!

I don’t know how many times I’ve had to say this now - you can’t tell how economical someone’s gait is by looking at it.

1. She did not move here

2. ON jumped the gun with their press release stating she got a green card, when the reality was she was applying for a P1 VISA

3. She was denied a P1

4. She re-applied for a tourist VISA and received a B1/B2 VISA. With this she is NOT getting a green card nor is her family moving here. 6 month stay max.

This last post is inaccurate. Hellen is in the process of moving to the U.S. (I will not comment on her Visa status but the above is wrong, she was NOT denied a Visa). We have a legal team supporting her transition and the progress is quite positive. Ricky Simms had been coaching Hellen remotely and he and Hellen both agreed that Dathan is the best coach for Hellen moving to the marathon. Hellen is an absolute aerobic beast and although she had a rough day in NYC we expect her to dominate the marathon for years to come. Hellen is a wonderful person and the entire OAC team loves her.

She did NOT get her P1 VISA. Fact.

She is here on a B1/B2 VISA. Fact.

She is applying for a P1 and until the State Dept approves her application and grants her an interview, she remains on a tourist VISA. Fact.

And I add:

Yes Hellen is a very nice lady. I hope she can get permanent status.

Would you consider a coach not directly attached to ON? Seems doubtful. You're his king-maker and truthfully Ritz seemed to never get his own full potential out of the marathon.

2:25 on a humid day in New York is not bad. Minus 2 mins for the course and minus 2 mins for the weather and she is 2:21 as a debut. OK, that's no 2:17/2:18 as a debut but is every East African woman supposed to set a near WR each time to be a viable marathon runner?