Hellen Obiri brings it home to Kenya
After another decorated season, history-making runner, Hellen Obiri, together with her husband, Tom Nyaundi, support the next generation of Kenyan athletes with big dreams.
Words by Laura Markwardt. Photography by Colin Wong.
Read this story in Gusii Soma omogano oyo ase Ekegusii
The life of an elite distance runner is on the road. And yet, Olympian, Hellen Obiri is clear about where she calls home.“Kisii is where I came from, and it is my home,” she says. “I lived there with my family for many years. When I moved to Nairobi, Nairobi became my second home.”
Obiri trains alongside the guidance of Dathan Ritzenhein, with the On Athletics Club (OAC) in Boulder, CO.
It’s here, at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, that she’s been based with her husband, Tom Nyaundi, and daughter, Tania, since spring 2022. She’s known her husband since childhood. “I moved to the U.S. with Tom, and I’m so grateful to have traveled. But they say ‘home sweet home,’ and Kisii is my home because that’s where my parents are.”
Nyaundi, who speaks of his strong relationship with Obiri, as one of “compassion and sacrifice,” echoes that sentiment, “I’m a son of the Kisii Kenya soil. I grew up surrounded by community and relatives on common ancestral land, and I believe that home is best.”
And while her heart is at home, Obiri – supported by Nyaundi – stands on the global stage, as an archetype of what’s possible when you’re surrounded by an ecosystem of support.
Fresh from racing 42.195km in Paris this summer, she holds her place at the forefront of world athletics, with a hat-trick of history-making World Marathon Major wins, seven World Championship medals, a World Cross Country Championship and the Kenyan 3,000 meters record. “I didn’t know I could come this far,” she says of her prodigious medal collection, “but I trusted the process without losing hope. That’s why I’m where I am today.”
Obiri’s reverence for hard work shows up in every facet of her life – whether she’s training at 5,430 feet (1,655 m) above sea level, racing to break away from the pack in Paris, or telling the story of her six siblings and parents as farmers in the village of Bogin Choncho, Kenya,” If you work hard, you will have something in life. I learned from my parents. That’s why I work hard now, in my athletic career.”
That unrelenting work ethic – learned at home in Kenya’s Kisii tribe – planted the seed that continues to grow and flourish between Obiri and her husband, Nyaundi. “Kisii tribe are hard working people who don’t give up,” explains Obiri. “That comes into my mind [when I run]. Historically, we believe that Kisii people don’t lose hope. I remember my tribe, where I came from, and that keeps me going.”
“Kisii people don’t lose hope.”
Shared dreams, hard work and holding on to hope; Obiri and Nyaundi describe their home as “a beautiful place with a beautiful climate” with “friendly, supportive people,” but acknowledge, too, the challenges they’ve faced to come this far. Consistent hard work offers the potential for greatness, only when combined with opportunity.
“Where I’m from, the community supports you, despite poor leadership [in government] leading to a lack of opportunities [to progress an athletic career],” says Obiri.
Both Obiri and Nyaundi channel their energy towards creating more opportunities for young people with big dreams in Kenya.
“I know there's lots of talent where I came from,” says Obiri, “but those young athletes can’t always access opportunity. We want to set up training camps with proper equipment and training areas to identify where young athletes can train. Girls and boys with talent – we want to give them the chance to succeed.”
Nyaundi continues, “girls in Kenya need to be empowered, and need to be given the opportunity to explore.”
“Where I come from, there’s a lot of talent. We want to give them the chance to succeed.”
Community, family, and hard work are indisputable values shared by both Obiri and Nyaundi. As a proud mother to Tania, but also as a mentor to OAC athlete, Sinta Vissa, Obiri emphasizes that a strong support network is integral to fulfilling your dreams from a young age. “I like encouraging young athletes to work hard. There is no shortcut in life. You have to go extra hard to achieve your dreams,” she says.
Just as hard work searches for opportunity, rewards are often intertwined with risk. Nyaundi weighs up that balance, “I believe that to become successful in life you must take risks. Hellen is so disciplined and passionate in her career. It’s a factor that makes me do whatever is possible, to support her success.”
Moving to the U.S. to explore opportunities they may have lacked in Kenya was, “for the common good of my family,” says Nyaundi. A calculated risk. A show of hope, and faith in Obiri’s future as a champion.
Nyaundi’s learnings? “I’d advise couples to support each other. There is no competition in marriage. Support each other’s shared goals. It’s always good to view yourself in the years to come, and not just in the present life. That will drive you to take big steps and make big moves.”
“Work hard, work smart. Don’t lose hope,” says Obiri.
“She taught me to be focused and to work hard and smart,” continues Nyaundi. “I’ve also learned to have humility and trust. Great heroes are humble.”
Great heroes also build legacies. Obiri’s legacy is to pay her success forward, and to support young Kenyan athletes who aspire to make a difference.
“I want to inspire young athletes to work hard and achieve in life. Training camps, tracks and organized races: That’s what I want to do to give back to my community. I want them to be inspired to work hard, and in turn, give back to their communities. That is my dream.”
Nyaundi is with Obiri every step of the way. “Thoughts are powerful and you can make them possible,” he adds. And he’s right. Obiri, as we all know, has a gift for making dreams become real.
