Indonesia’s Future Marathon Queen

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

Pretty Sihite female runner raised two hands when she finished first in the women\'s category at the 2020 Borobudur Marathon at Borobudur Temple Tourism Park, Magelang Regency, Central Java, Sunday (15/11/2020).

Indonesia doesn’t seem to be lacking in female long-distance runners with the end of the era of Triyaningsih, 32, and Odekta Elvina Naibaho, 29. A young runner from Sibolga, Pretty Sihite, 23, is ready to take up the baton. With her great talent, she may emerge as Indonesia’s future queen of marathons.

After crossing the finish line, Pretty covered her face with her hands. Not long after, she kissed the ground. She broke down in tears on the winners’ red carpet of the race. It seemed she couldn’t believe that she had won the women’s division of the Borobudur Marathon 2020 “Elite Race Powered by Bank Jateng”, her first marathon race since she became a runner in 2010.

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“It’s my cry of gratitude. My long training until now has turned out to be fruitful. Reaching the finish line and becoming the champion are a bonus,” she said on Sunday (15/11/2020) after the race at the Borobudur Temple in Magelang, Central Java.

With a time of 3 hours 11 minutes and 51 seconds, Pretty defeated senior runner Irma Handayani, 30, who won runner-up in the contest.

It’s my cry of gratitude. My long training until now has turned out to be fruitful.

No marathon athlete

Pretty was originally a 1.5K, 5K and 10K runner and a 3,000-meter steeplechase athlete. However, she wanted to have a go at becoming a marathon athlete. Her results showed promise, winning the half marathon at the 2019 Bali Marathon.

“I want to try all long-distance running events to understand their characteristics. What’s more, I aspire to becoming a running coach. If I have no knowledge of the marathon, I won’t be able to explain it to my trainees,” said the sports education master’s student at the Indonesia University of Education in Bandung, West Java.

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KOMPAS/P RADITYA MAHENDRA YASA

Female elite runners compete to complete 12 rounds with a total distance of 42.5 kilometers at the 2020 Borobudur Marathon in the Borobudur Temple area, Magelang Regency, Central Java, Sunday (15/11/2020).

Sadly, her dream of becoming a marathon runner was put on hold, as she had to focus on training in her specialized events for the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta-Palembang and the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in the Philippines.

Pretty’s dream to run a marathon finally came true just as the world was beset by the Covid-19 pandemic. When all national and international competitions for her specialized events were delayed or even canceled due to the pandemic, the committee of the Borobudur Marathon 2020 approached her two months ago to ask if she wanted to participate in the women’s marathon.

Without a second thought, she grabbed at the opportunity. She trained hard under the strict instruction of her coach, Wita Witarsa. She trained in the morning and in the afternoon from Monday through Friday, covering a distance of 26-28 kilometers per session. On Saturdays and Sundays, she trained only in the mornings.

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Pretty acknowledged that the training was difficult, as the maximum distance she had previously covered was 20 kilometers per session. Nonetheless, she never complained.

Although she was not a seeded runner, Pretty proceeded confidently to the Borobudur Marathon 2020 race track. Her marathon career started there. As she had no marathon times, she started in the last row of runners the race alongside nine other female runners. From the starting line to the halfway point, she generally stayed in the middle of the pack, and was once trailing it.

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With great patience, Pretty continued to maintain her speed and pace. Slowly but surely, she forced her way into the leading pack. The climax came in the ninth lap, when she was competing neck and neck with Irma, a seasoned marathon runner who had already won several races. They ran close to each other until the penultimate lap. About 500 meters from the finish line, Pretty seemed to tap into some energy reserve and sprinted ahead, leaving Irma behind to clinch her victory.

KOMPAS/P RADITYA MAHENDRA YASA

Irma cools her body with mineral water when Oliva and Pretty Sihite taped it tightly at the 2020 Borobudur Marathon in the Borobudur Temple area, Magelang Regency, Central Java, Sunday (15/11/2020). Pretty ended up becoming a champion.

The key to my success was patience.

It was a phenomenal achievement. Pretty had trained within a relatively short time frame to become the champion of her very first marathon. As a general rule, a marathon athlete trains for at least six months ahead of a race. “The key to my success was patience,” she pointed out.

Pretty started running in 2010, when she was a first-year senior high school student. Thanks to her hard training and patience, she won the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2015 National Championships in Jakarta and was selected to represent Indonesia at the 2015 Asian Cross Country Championships in Bahrain. Since then, her star has continued to rise, competing for Indonesia at the 2018 Asian Games and the 2019 SEA Games.

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Not only has she been patient in building her career, Pretty also practiced patience in gaining her parents’ support for her decision to become a professional runner. From the moment she became an athlete, her father, Jairon Sihite, had shown no support. “Dad once called me crazy, as I had decided to become a runner. He repeatedly forbade me from joining running drills.”

But Pretty carried on with her training and joined events, albeit surreptitiously. She only dared to come clean with her parents when she was about to take part in the 2016 National Games (PON), and invited her parents to come watch her race in Bandung, West Java.

Since then, her parents have wholeheartedly supported their daughter’s choice. They were proud to see Pretty win a silver medal in the 1,500-meter race and a bronze medal in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at PON XIX.

Pretty Sihite

Born: Central Tapanuli, 21 Dec. 1996

Education: Bachelor in Health and Recreational Education, Medan State University (2013-2017)

Achievement: winner, Borobudur Marathon 2020