Obiri soars to NYC Half Marathon win, Bishop claims victory in Puerto Varas
Hellen Obiri and triathlete Tom Bishop spearhead yet another weekend of impressive On athlete results in different disciplines around the globe.
Zurich, Switzerland, March 19, 2023 - Yet another competition weekend ends with successful results for On athletes across all the disciplines: While Kenya’s Hellen Obiri dominated the field at the NYC Half Marathon, triathletes Tom Bishop and Matt Hanson claim positions one and two at Challenge Puerto Varas in Chile, Eritrean Oqbe Kibrom Ruesom finished with a PB and just missed the podium by 14 seconds at Barcelona Marathon in Spain. Ethiopia’s Telahun Haile Bekele was the runner-up at the Lille 5 km race and Belgian ultrarunner Karel Sabbe became the 17th person to ever finish the Barkley Marathons in Wartburg, Tennessee.
Obiri wins NYC Half-Marathon in record time
About 25,000 participants set off on the 13.1-mile pinnacle race event that started in Brooklyn at Prospect Park and ended in Central Park in Manhattan. This year's stacked field featured athletes from 15 countries, 17 Olympians, 12 Paralympians, and seven past champions. Nevertheless, OAC athlete Hellen Obiri never put her victory in doubt and crossed the finish line far ahead of her competitors in 1:07:21, a new course record. Obiri led the race from tape to tape and fended off a strong challenge from Senbere Teferi to ultimately take the win by 34 seconds. On athlete Chris Thompson was also in action in New York and finished the race in 16th in 1:04:32.
On Triathletes Tom Bishop and Matt Hanson make it a 1-2 at Challenge Puerta Varas, Chile
Fresh off a second place at the International Clash Daytona last weekend, an in-form Tom Bishop claimed his first international senior win since 2012 and took a clear victory in a total time of 3:45:02 at the second edition of Challenge Puerto Varas in Chile on Sunday. Bishops’ strong bike ride put him well ahead of the competition, and he remained by himself all throughout the final run to finish almost six minutes ahead of Matt Hanson (USA), who completed a fabulous result for Team On.
Ruesom just off the podium at Barcelona Marathon
Meanwhile, two On athletes were on start in Europe, where the Marathon season is also in full swing. Eritrea’s Oqbe Kibrom Ruesom and Swiss Marathon record holder Tadesse Abraham had fierce competition in a stacked men’s field at Barcelona Marathon but made the most of it. Ruesom finished fourth in a personal best of 02:05:51, the fastest Marathon performance in an On Shoe yet. Abraham ended the race in sixth in 02:06:43, just five seconds shy of his own national record.
Bekele claims third place at Lille 5 km
In France, Ethiopian Telahun Haile Bekele started in the 5 km event of the Semi de Lille race and came away with third place. He finished the distance in 13:07 and only had to let race winner Yomif Kejelcha and runner-up Reynold Cheruyiot Kipkorir pass.
Karel Sabbe enters the prestigious Barkley Marathons finishers’ club
Belgian ultrarunner Karel Sabbe reached a goal that had been over three years in the making: the 34-year-old was one of three finishers of the prestigious Barkley Marathons and is only the 17th person to finish one of the hardest ultra-distance races ever. The course, which varies from year to year, consists of five loops of about 20 miles and includes about 63,000 feet of elevation gain. The race is limited to a 60-hour period from the start of the first loop, which Sabbe managed to stay within with a total race time of 59:53:33.
About On
On was born in the Swiss Alps with one goal: to revolutionize the sensation of running by empowering all to run on clouds. Thirteen years after market launch, On delivers industry-disrupting innovation in premium footwear, apparel, and accessories for high-performance running, outdoor, and all-day activities. Fueled by customer recommendation, On’s award-winning CloudTec® innovation, purposeful design, and groundbreaking strides in sportswear’s circular economy have attracted a fast-growing global fan base — inspiring humans to explore, discover and dream on.
On is present in more than 60 countries globally and engages with a digital community on www.on.com.