Changing Family’s Economy, Odekta’s Twisted Path to Becoming a Runner

Odekta Elvina Naibaho, a 31-year-old runner, has an inspiring story. At first, Odekta was just a village girl with big dreams. Her parents were farmers, which left her with limited options when it came to choosing a career path.

As time went by, Odek, as her friends call her, wanted to improve her life by losing weight. Finally, Odek decided to take up running as a way to shape her body healthily.

“Running is not a hobby, but I want to lose weight through the sport I chose, which is running. When running, the whole body moves, making it more efficient for losing weight, and becoming slimmer quickly,” said Odek.

Wanting to Improve Family’s Economy

Initially, Odek’s activities while living in the village were just going to school and helping her parents farm in the fields. Because Odek didn’t want to stay in the village, she eventually decided to move to Jakarta to improve her family’s life.

In 2014, Odekta began making money from running championships, starting from 5km to 10km. She could earn up to IDR 2 to 3 million, which could cover her daily needs and send money back to the village.

“I explained to my parents that this money is from my running championship winnings, and it is already allocated for food, education, and I’ve explained that. My parents said not to just run because there is no career path. They didn’t understand that there are national championships, PON, ASEAN Games, and Olympics,” she continued.

With the spirit that Odek instilled, she believed that someday she could improve her family’s and her economy to make it better.

“My mindset is that running generates money, so it’s more about opportunity than a dream. Although my dream used to be to become a lecturer, now I see opportunities,” explained Odek.

From Hobby to Profession

While in Jakarta, Odek joined a running community. That moment became the beginning of Odek’s determination to lose weight.

“At that time, my weight was 56 kg, and now it’s 43 kg. So the weight loss was fast. I checked my progress after 3 months, and I started doing it regularly. The environment also made me comfortable and motivated. As time went by, it wasn’t just about losing weight, but it became my daily lifestyle,” recalled Odek.

To run consistently, Odek started by running non-stop for 20 minutes at the Gelora Bung Karno track.

“From 20 minutes, I increased it to 25 minutes, 30 minutes, and 35 minutes. After getting used to it for 3 months, I was offered to participate in a 5km championship, and I was strong enough to go to 10km. Nobody jumps straight into a marathon,” she continued.

From that routine, Odek became interested in participating in running championships, starting from 5km to international championships at a distance of 10km. “So, if running is not about distance, but it’s about a lifestyle (to be able to run far),” added Odek.

Odek’s challenge to prove herself to her family drove NYXS to support Odekta Elvina Naibaho. Let’s support Odek in achieving higher achievements by choosing, supporting, and winning many things together with NYXS.

Odekta Elvina Naibaho’s Achievements:

• Member of Indonesia Track & Field National Team
• Gold Medalist of SEA Games 2021 in Vietnam