UVU coaches trusted me, and they believed in me. And they know I've got talent. Having all this support from school, teammates, and friends has helped me be confident and do whatever I have to do.
I remember when I was five years of age, I ran an average of 15 miles to school. So I’d wake up in the morning, prepare breakfast for my siblings. Then, I’d be the one responsible to make them be at school on time, because if we are not in school on time, you will be punished or you could be sent home. Then, we come back home, I cook lunch for them, and go back to school running.
So my dad grew up in his family, and he was really smart. He got a scholarship and went to Macquarie University in Uganda to get his master's. Growing up, I wanted to be a nurse, and my aunt is a nurse. So, admiring her, I wanted to be a nurse like her. And my dad was really supportive. Education is everything.
I remember when I was in high school. My high schools were really expensive because it was a national school. My dad made $200 every month, and my high school is $1,000 every year. So can you imagine he is making $200, and he has to pay $1,000 for my tuition and stuff?
He would tell me, "You know what? I'm sacrificing everything for you. Because I know you will have a bright future, and you will help us and everything. I'm invested in you."
When I almost graduated from high school, he said, "Eva, you know what? I'm wearing only one pair of shoes every time. Have you ever seen me? I'm wearing only one pair of shoes the whole time from form one to form four." I cried. I'm like, "Okay, I understand the sacrifice that they're pouring into me. And I will do everything just to make you guys happy."
I was running for fun. When I was in, I think, form three or four, I made it all the way to nationals in Kenya. So I went to nationals, and they took only one or two from nationals to the East Africa games. But I missed by one spot. My primary school coach told me, "Eva, don't worry. You're so close. You will go to the Olympics."
I'm like, "Coach, what is the Olympics?" And they start showing me videos of what the Olympics is. I'm like, "Whoa, I don't know if I'm gonna do that. That's intense." But he [my coach] has always believed in me.
I remember coming to UVU for the first time. I couldn't run, like, even a five-minute pace per kilometer. It was rough. Coach [Chris] Shane and the entire program had high expectations for me because they knew I could do that. And they could see my previous results. But I couldn't even stay with the section of girls — everyone was passing me in training. I was so stressed. I'm like, “Why? I'm not running that fast, the way everyone is expecting me.” Even my teammates were like, "Whoa, coach said Eva was really fast. Why is she not running fast?" It was stressful. However, UVU coaches trusted me, and they believed in me. And they know I got talent. I can do it.
I don't like when someone says, "You're going to win." You don't have to say you're going to win. I want to say that after accomplishing that goal. I feel like running without pressure is really nice. […] Having pressure on me, I don't perform.
Sifan Hassan, she's an Olympian. She's a three-time Olympian. She's a good runner. She's my inspiration. I look up to her every time I do everything. She trained me at UVU. So I've been able to train with her sometimes in workouts and even long runs. She's coached by Coach Tim Rowberry. And Coach Tim is my coach. So having Coach Tim connect me and getting to know Sifan has helped me so much, getting advice from her and everything.
Sifan has been watching me for some time before nationals. She told me, "Your running times are for professional running. Only a few people — I can tell you who — have attained these times in workouts in high altitudes. You are a professional runner. You are among them. Welcome to the team. Go win nationals."
I went there being confident. I remember someone saying that "Yeah, Sifan told me you can do it. Coaches tell me you can do it." Having all this support from school, teammates, and friends has helped me be confident and do whatever I have to do.
I know they're watching back home. They have high expectations for me. So, a lot of pressure. But I was like, “No, it's fine. I'm relaxed; I believe in my training and coaches.” And I was able to do it. I didn't have any doubt. I knew I would win, but I couldn't say before finishing.
A short-term goal was to win the national championship, and I won that [in the ]10k. My long-term goal will be going to the Olympics — even this Olympics [in Paris in 2024]. I am ready to go for trials and everything. But I have a short time, as the Kenyan trials will be in two weeks. So I think I will not make it this year. But I wanted to go to the Olympics this year. For now, I'm gonna keep running and find jobs with the degree [in public health] that I have right now.
Trust in the process, set small goals, try not to put pressure on yourself, and be patient. Because, yeah, patience pays off.
