Elva was encouraged to pursue running by high school coach Ron Keller. Elva ran well in high school, but was not a star athlete, finishing 11th at the State Championships. It would take her collegiate years at Western State College of Gunnison, Colorado to really develop and show her true potential. While at Western Sate she became a 16 time NCAA II All American and 7 time National Champion ranging from distances of 800 meters to 3000 meters and Cross Country. She also won 18 individual Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference titles along the way for WSC.

After a successful collegiate career Elva’s focus became to represent the US in the Olympic Games. In 1996 Elva finished 8th at the US Olympic Track & Field Trials in the 5000 meters. That performance left her determined to make the 2000 Olympic Games. At the 2000 US Olympic Trials her dream became realized as she qualified to represent the US at the Sydney Olympic Games in the 5000 meters. She made her 2nd Olympic Team in 2004 as she represented the United States in the 10,000 meters in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

The next four years that followed were dedicated to the marathon and a spot on the US Olympic marathon team for 2008. Beijing did not come to be for Elva in the marathon, but it left her hungry to continue to pursue the challenges, intrigue and prestige of the marathon event. Self improvement is what motivated Elva in the early years of her running career and that is still what keeps her motivated years later.