Hellen Obiri Reflects on 4 Record-Breaking Years With On Running

Hellen Obiri already had a Hall of Fame-worthy career before she officially partnered with On in January 2022. Since then, the Swiss sportswear brand and the Kenyan running phenom have only shattered more records each step of the way.

The "Marathon Queen" has starred in multiple ad campaigns for On, even becoming the face of the cutting-edge On Cloudboom Strike LightSpray super shoe. More importantly, Obiri and On are using their platform to reframe running culture and lift the next generation of athletes following in her footsteps.

At 36 years old, Obiri is coming off one of her best seasons yet, capped off with a New York City Marathon victory. Sports Illustrated's Kicks On SI spoke with the World Champion about the importance of her On partnership, 2025 season, and more.

Hellen Obiri in an On photo shoot. — Hellen Obiri for On. | On

You have been an On athlete for almost four years. How has the brand been as a partner?

On has been a great partner over the past four years. It was a huge opportunity for my family and me to move from Kenya to Boulder and train with Dathan Ritzenhein and the On Athletic Club [OAC]. This move marked my transition from running on the track to training for the marathon.

I had great success on the track, and can now also say that with On's partnership, I'm having great success as a professional marathoner as well. I've won back-to-back marathons in NYC and Boston in 2023 and brought home the bronze medal from the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

The welcome On gave me, and the care and investment they have put into me throughout our partnership, have made me feel like a true member of the On Family. With On, you aren't just a sponsored athlete. We are partners with insights, experience, and valuable feedback to help build better products.

Does your On partnership extend beyond apparel/footwear to include coaches/training facilities?

Yes, my partnership with On is not just about shoes and apparel; it is all-encompassing. The facilities available to me at OAC are state-of-the-art. I have everything here. We are always at elevation and have various training sessions, from the treadmill to the gym to recovery in the swimming pool. I didn't have anything like this in Kenya.

OAC's new coach Laura Thweatt, has been a huge support. I've been working with Laura since right after the Boston Marathon. Laura was an athlete herself and a good one, so she understands training. She has been doing everything she can to work with me closely. She has been with me on all my runs, six days a week, and to all my gym sessions.

She'll be watching my heart rate during runs and give me guidance with every step. To have someone with you on every step of a long run is not common, and I'm so lucky. She's quite the team player, doing all the gym work by my side to motivate me through it. Having a female coach for the first time in my career has also been a wonderful experience. I've felt seen and supported.

Another big aspect of my partnership with On is the work I do alongside my teammates, like running in New York with Joe and Ryan in Chicago. They helped me a lot on my long runs and long workouts. We would talk after sessions about how to work harder as a team and motivate each other. Then we would meet up with the rest of the all-star OAC team, to push each other to train and perform at the best of our ability.

I was able to see my On family at the 16-mile point in New York supporting me during the marathon. It's the best feeling, you know, seeing your team, making such great efforts to support you and cheer you on. They really have been like a family to me. Much more than just training partners. They came to my hotel on Saturday before the race to keep me relaxed and talk a lot with me to give me encouragement and to wish me all the best.

How often do you test new shoes and apparel for On?

For the New York Marathon, I tested the shoes about 5 times. It was no joke, the On footwear engineer would come back and forth from Switzerland and spend a week in the USA getting my feedback.

They gave me so much of their time to ensure I was 100% happy and comfortable with the new shoes. They would make different variations with minute differences in modifications and ask me to try them, then we would go to the lab to test the shoes. A lot of effort goes into the attention to detail and working collaboratively.

All of your raceday outfits are amazing. Do you provide ideas on colors or designs you want?

Yes, we talked a lot about the kits. It's so important I'm not distracted or uncomfortable with what I'm wearing. I like lots of colors, so I had no problem with which color was used, but during training, we sampled a lot of options. We wanted to make the raceday outfit as light as possible, while also including a pocket. The pocket was designed to carry one gel in case I missed a bottle at the bottle stations.

A really nice touch was when, after a nightmare journey to New York, I met with Olivier and the footwear engineer to receive my race-day shoe by hand! I promised them I was going to work so hard in these shoes, and they wished me luck for the race.

On has been following everything I do. They really want me to be successful and give me everything possible to run my best. For me, it was so incredible and a lovely moment to see them in my room to send me off.

Hellen Obiri runs in the New York City Marathon. — Hellen Obiri during the New York City Marathon. | Kevin R. Wexler-Imagn Images

How does the On Cloudboom Strike Lightspray compare to other shoes you have run in the past?

Ohh let's praise the shoes! It's been amazing to wear the On Cloudboom Strike LightSpray. I have been wearing and winning races in the development versions of LightSpray since spring of last year. This version was not like any other shoe; they are the lightest racing shoes I've ever worn and so fast. I was confident wearing them in New York. It's great not having to think about laces. I also tend to be a midfoot and forefoot striker, so having the elevated heel is an advantage.

What shoes do you wear casually?

I love wearing The Roger Advantage.

Was the NYC marathon your favorite moment of 2025?

Yes, the NYC Marathon and setting a new course record, which stood for more than 20 years, by more than two minutes was an incredible moment for me. The field was very strong, and everyone believed they could win that race. Winning there was history for me…fantastic!

Hellen Obiri models On running apparel. — Hellen Obiri wears the On Cloudsurfer Max. | On.

What are your goals for 2026?

My goals for 2026 are to recover from New York and Boston and take things one step at a time. After a marathon you need a lot of time to recover, to relax with your family, and take everything off your mind. So that when you start a new season, which I just did, I can focus on where I am in the here and now. Focusing on getting fit, and to stay healthy and injury-free.

In January, we can start thinking about what times I need to run, so for now we are taking it slow. I don't have any business coming soon, but we do hope, and we do trust that 2026 will be a good year for me. We want to run a faster marathon, so that's what I'm hoping for in 2026.

If you could have any celebrity or athlete cheer you on at a race, who would it be?

I would love Rihanna to watch me race and cheer me on.

You have spoken out about important issues facing athletes in the past. Are there any causes you want to call attention to as we enter 2026?

Guiding and educating athletes about sound investments - It would be beneficial to educate athletes about making good financial decisions with their earnings. Often, athletes don't make the best decisions about investing their money, and then they retire without financial stability.

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