I only lose my top spot when I’m injured
Nigeria’s marathon runner, Deborah Pam Badung has been a national champion for some years and has waded off tough competition to stay at the top. She spoke with Trust Sports after she won the second edition of the Anti-Corruption Marathon race held in Abuja last year.
Can you briefly tell us when you started running? I started when I was in secondary school, precisely 2006. I joined through the inter secondary school games. It is getting to 14 years now that I started running professionally.
I usually train with my husband, twice in a day, sometimes thrice. We train in our village in Jos because the terrain is good for us, we have the high altitude. The weather is very conducive for us.
It is by God’s grace that I have been a serial champion when it comes to marathon races in Nigeria. I have won more races than the ones I lost. In fact, I lost those races to my rivals just because I was injured.
If I tell you, then it is no longer a secret. (laughs). Basically, it is dedication to my training program. I train very hard. That is very important. I also watch what I eat and drink, so as I don’t run foul of the rules as well as keeping fit. Some kinds of foods, drinks are not healthy for me. And when it is time to relax, I relax well, take of my mind of issues bothering me.
We met during a Youth Games in school then. We were just friends as well as colleagues being that we are both runners. He was always showing concern anytime I was injured or not in best mental state to run a race. But I can’t specifically say what made me fall in love with my husband. It is just the plan of God that it happened that way. I didn’t think because he is a runner and was always motivating me.
We got married in May 2019 and it has been a huge learning curve for me. There are times, I will be away for days to prepare for a race while he will be home. And I also have to bear with him because of the job. His job can take him away from me for days.
So we both understand that our jobs can separate us for days and we always find ways to make up for the lost times together. It has not been easy being a wife and still be a marathon racer. It’s a whole lot of work being fully committed to keeping my home and working.
And when we are together, we discuss a lot on some many things that affect us as individuals and ofcourse as a couple. We talk about our career, seeking ways to improve ourselves to remain champions.
I asked your husband this same question which is will you be a parent that will force their children to follow your career or allow them choose theirs?
We will not choose careers for our children when we begin to have them. They will be free to choose whatever career they want. If they decide to follow our footsteps, then we will welcome them and put them through.
It has not been so great as we would have wanted. When I say we, I am referring to myself and my husband. We don’t get the required support from the government, even from the Athletics Federation of Nigeria who are supposed to be our eyes.
We get injured and there is no form of support from the government. No physiotherapists to help us during our recovery period. We don’t even ask for much because we are aware of economic challenges but we can be given subsidy to help cushion the financial costs on us.
The federation should be able to take us outside the country for camp to experience how things are done over there. We also lack physiotherapists who can take care of us when we get injured.
I want to represent Nigeria at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. I am hopeful of making the final list to Tokyo alongside with my husband.
It will be a great honour to fly the colours of the nation in Tokyo. This is my country and don’t have any other country. I am certain of making the nation proud.
Just as my husband said, I have been to many places, got paid for winning races. I have been able to survive using my talents. People know me and I am usually given recognition based on the fact that I run marathon races. I give God the glory for what I have been able to achieve and what I will achieve in the nearest future.