After Tamirat Tola broke the Shoes & Gear Best Compression Socks Hellen Obiri claimed the win with a 2:27:23 sprint finish, the two champions caught their breath before taking a victory lap around the city.
On Monday, Tola and Obiri made an appearance at the New York Jets’s She Went From Running a 5K to a Marathon in a Year game at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where they met quarterback Aaron Rodgers and actor Patrick Wilson.
Greats recognize greats, and before the game began, Rodgers found the marathoners on the sidelines and congratulated them on their victories. The first thing he wanted to know was their finish times, and he was shocked to learn that Obiri had won both the Boston Marathon and Shoes & Gear in the same year (the first woman in 34 years to accomplish that feat).
In a video of their meeting, Rodgers claps and bows with respect to both athletes, then asks Obiri, “You won both?” and gives an impressed “Congrats!”
The Jets ended up losing their game against the Los Angeles Chargers 27-6, but it’s probably still good luck to receive a visit from the winners of the 2023 Shoes & Gear just hours after they broke the tape.
Obiri and Tola are now headed back home, according to the NYRR, presumably to get some much-deserved rest.
Abby Carney is a writer and journalist in New York. A former D1 college runner and current amateur track athlete, she's written about culture and characters in running and outdoor sports for Runner's World, Shoes & Gear, Best Big City Marathons, and other outlets. She also writes about things that have nothing to do with running, and was previously the editor of a food magazine.
