REBRANDING


The Journey to Without Limits
by Kim Baldwin
January 2022
September 2015. I was lying in an ICU bed thinking to myself, how the F*ck did I get here?
Six months before that, I had started a slow descent into a darkness I had never known. I was close to weighing 300lbs. And I was training for the SMART Ride, a 160-mile bike ride from Miami to Key West, in November. When I began to experience chest pain and shortness of breath, I told myself it was due to my weight and to shut up. This is what being 300 lbs. means. For months, it was nothing but me, my bike and the horrible stories I told myself. My daily practice was punishment through starvation, mileage, self-bullying. Rinse. Repeat.
By mid-September, I just not feeling well. So what did I do? Compete in the Wrightsville Beach Triathlon, just as I always had. My thinking was, well, you are getting a cold, you really don’t eat, you weigh a lot. This is what happens. Shut up. Continue with the punishment.
That September race day, I entered the water, found my spot, and took off when then gun fired. All very normal. I made it about 10 strokes into Banks Channel. Out of nowhere, I felt a wave of nausea tear through my body, from the bottoms of my feet up. Then I couldn’t breathe. I remember thinking, “I’m gonna be one of those triathletes who dies in the swim and everyone will say, ‘At least she died doing what she loved.” The ironic thing? I did all the swimming, biking and running not from a place of love (or mild enjoyment) but from a place of pure, unadulterated punishment.
My hand shot up. The lifeguards raced over, got me on the coast guard boat and took me immediately to the docks at Sea Path Marina where the paramedics were waiting for me. I knew something wasn’t right but when they checked me out, my vitals were ok. They let me go. In my mind, I convinced myself, again, that this is what happens when you are completely out of control with your weight; never mind I had done that swim hundreds of times with no issues.
Two days later, I ended up in the ICU. Both lungs were filled with blood clots and I had what they call a saddle pulmonary embolism. (This is not something you want to Google.) When the doctor came in my room his jaw hit the floor. He couldn’t believe I was alive. People don’t live through what I experienced. I wasn’t supposed to be here.
While taking months off from work and going to pulmonary rehab, I got much needed time to think. I knew I couldn’t ruin the do-over I had been gifted. I couldn’t spend the next half of my life living in darkness, anger, shame and blame.
For the next three years, I dug deep. I did the work. I unraveled my childhood trauma and started to see how that impacted every single strand of my life, especially my relationships with food and exercise. With the help of a nutritionist specialized in eating disorders and a therapist specializing in childhood trauma, I slowly started coming out of the darkness. I started to understand the stories I told myself were just that, stories.
I learned my eating disorder probably started when I was about five or six years old. I uncovered the root of my depression, anger, shame and toxic thinking. And I finally understood how it all was inextricably linked. I starved myself as a form of punishment. I exercised as punishment. Food brought me no joy. In fact it brought me the exact opposite. Who eats for pleasure? Running is fun?
In the movie “28 Days,” one of the characters, upon leaving treatment, wants to adopt a dog. His therapist says he can have a dog if he takes care of a house plant for a year. If the plant doesn’t die, he can get a dog.
That’s what my three years of doing the work was for me. I lost 100 lbs., got my mind right, and felt stable enough – mentally, physically, spiritually – to start exercising again. I wanted to see what a body with 100 lbs. less could do.
I joined Without Limits (WOL) and started with swim practice twice a week. Then I added run practice twice a week, signed up for Training Peaks and all of a sudden, I had a coach and long runs on Saturday.
Intimidated. That’s how I spent the first few months of swim and run practices. I felt so insecure. I was the slowest one. I didn’t want to get in anyone’s way. Did I really belong? Were my old thought pattern and stories creeping back in?
After one particular run practice I left in tears. I didn’t realize anyone noticed. Coach Kristen called me the next morning. She said to me, “Boo, you belong.” Somehow, she knew. That day, it all changed. I needed to get out of my own way. So I did.
Then COVID hit. All of a sudden everything was shut down. Even swimming at Wrightsville Beach was shut down. The gift of COVID was that I realized just how important running and swimming were to my mental and physical health. I needed movement. It was my way out of the darkness. It relieved my anxiety. It allowed me to properly fuel my body. Talk about a 180!
There was another COVID gift. I realized just how important WOL was to me in other ways. The coaches gave me accountability and encouragement. And I made friends too. Amazing friends! Relationships of any kind are almost impossible when you tell yourself stories. So in those first few months of the pandemic, it was like time stood still. I was able to reflect on what I was missing. I saw how important this community of athletes is to me. The friendships I’ve made far outweigh any PR.
Six years later, post-clots, mental breakdown and eating disorder diagnosis, I’ve never been better. Sure, I have my days. We all do. Now, I sit with my feelings, try to understand them, and then move on. Sometimes I work them out on the track or in the pool. Sometimes I groan with the ladies at Starbucks post-workout. The one thing that remains consistent is when I leave practice, my cup is always full.
I couldn’t have imagined me being a member of WOL. But here I am, one of its ardent supporters. My original assignment was to write about why I joined WOL. But honestly, it’s more about why I stay. It has truly been a journey. And one that is nowhere near over.
If you’ve ever run the streets of Charleston or participated in a local race, there’s a good chance you were passed with a greeting from a speedy blonde-haired woman saying, “Granny, coming through!” For some, it’s incentive to speed up to not let “Granny” beat them. Others might walk away feeling defeated, having been smoked by “Granny.” Still, it’s likely it put a smile on the faces of anyone who saw or heard Cherry Kent (or “Granny”) come by at her usual 8 minute/mile pace.
And, that’s exactly why Cherry Kent runs.
“I just really do love it,” said Kent. “It’s a great sport. Racing is what got me hooked, but once I started racing, it motivated me… Health was a side benefit. I just really liked the competition.”
This year, Cherry Kent turned 65 years old. On November 7, 2021 she ran the New York City Marathon, her 49th marathon and ninth NYC Marathon. She’s run the Boston Marathon 15 times and tells her tales of marathoning with vivid memories of both pain and love.
In fact, in 2019, she ran the Boston Marathon and could barely walk for days after, due to a lower back injury. She was not proud of her time that year and even considered giving up marathons completely.
Now, at 65 years old, that’s all changed. She ran her third fastest NYC Marathon this year with a finish time of 4:09:18 (~9:30 minute/mile pace).
“The coaching from Without Limits and strength training has improved my running experience,” said Kent. “As you get older, you need to incorporate more strength training and having a plan, with pickups, for the long runs helped a lot.”
Cherry joined Without Limits in 2019, around the same she was considering retiring from her marathon career.
Now, she has a new goal.
“I’ve qualified for the Boston Marathon in 2022. That will get me to 50 marathons. I’ll try to keep an open mind about it after that,” said Kent.
Having run 49 marathons to date, she understands the work that goes into having a successful race and the often-painful recovery after a marathon.
She stays with her friend Chancy every year when she runs the NYC Marathon. And, through the years, their experience surrounding the race has changed.
“We call it the ‘geriatric adventure’ now,” Kent said laughing. “If I do NYC again, I will have to make more accommodations for after the race for our ‘geriatric adventure.’”
Cherry Kent is a competitor amongst people of all ages. She started running 37 years ago. Some years, she completed four marathons in a year. She’s run hundreds of 5ks, 10ks, half-marathons and completed dozens of triathlons.
The thing she loves most about running is the connections she’s made.
“I’ve met so many friends. I know so many people through it.”
She met her husband Matthew Kent through running years ago.
“We would not be together if not for running,” said Kent. “It’s great that we support each other. We also get mad at each other, too. If we offer too much advice, we will yell at each other… And, if I get too old to race, I’ll still be supporting him at races.”
Cherry Kent is an inspiration to her Without Limits teammates and coaches, and frankly, anyone who crosses her path. But, even with her speedy 24-minute 5ks and blazing fast marathons, she finds a way to be the least intimidating person at races. If her speed doesn’t catch your attention, her humor and ability to laugh at herself is sure to draw you in.
“After one race, when they were calling out awards, they pronounced my name as ‘Shimmy Cracker’,” said Cherry Kent. “I don’t know how they got that, but after that, several people called me Shimmy Cracker.”
So, whether you refer to her as Granny, Shimmy Cracker, or any other affectionate name, Cherry Kent will put a smile on your face…even when she’s leaving you in the dust.
by: Tom Clifford
March 2020 will forever be etched in our memories. Over the course of the last fourteen days, our global community came to a grinding halt. There are a number of different personal responses, to include, denial, panic, and hopelessness against the backdrop of something that we collectively do not have a firm grasp or understand. I have taken a moment to reflect on what this experience means to me during a period that Winston Churchill aptly phrased as the “end of the beginning.”
Readiness is something that is dogmatic in the Marine Corps ethos. As a battalion commander at the School of Infantry for two years, we constantly preached “readiness” to our newly minted Marines. The refrain went something like this: “the time to prepare for combat is not when you are on the precipice of conflict. Train every day like it’s your last to prepare for war.” Readiness was the mantra. Be ready. Study, be physically fit, prepare your family for the possibility of deploying for combat. Since September 2001, our military has rightfully seen the benefits and consequences of our state of readiness.
The current global pandemic has provided an opportunity for all of us to take inventory of our personal state of readiness. What is our readiness – physically, financially, and spiritually for the unknown challenges that we will face in the future? The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated in a clear fashion that our physical readiness may have a very real impact on our individual ability to be resilient in the face of unknown health crises. Do we exercise? Do we smoke? Are we eating healthy meals? Do we get adequate sleep in order to maintain the best and healthiest version of ourselves? Physical readiness is not something that we can flip a switch, take a pill, or order from Amazon. Physical readiness takes discipline, teamwork, and dedication to the process to ensure our individual well-being. While it’s never too late to start, we have a finite ability to improve our physical conditioning. Don’t delay.
The current crisis has also demonstrated the necessity of financial readiness. Everyone in some way has been impacted financially by the outbreak of the coronavirus. Financial planners have often preached that we should have 6 month’s salary saved for emergencies. Additionally, are we disciplined to keep our debt to income ratio low so that we have credit when we need credit. Our individual financial resiliency contributes to the overall financial resiliency of our community and country. While we may not be able to immediately change our financial position in the light of the current volatile environment, at some point we will be back to a stable economy where we must balance our current needs and wants with the necessity to build economic resiliency through savings and low debt.
Finally, our spiritual readiness is critically important. What is the status of our relationships, both personally and professionally? Do we have a firm spiritual base to weather the rough seas that undoubtably will present themselves in our life? Do we have a loving relationship with our family and those closest to us? This we can change. Be kind. Show empathy. The individual positivity displayed in the face of extreme circumstances has the same exponential effect as the viral crisis we face today. Our spiritual readiness must be constantly nurtured. In hard times, spiritual resiliency is perhaps the hardest to muster in the absence of a lifelong commitment to fostering a foundation upon which to build.
Readiness is critical to our individual and collective achievements. Let us all reflect on where we are now, physically, financially, and spiritually. We all can improve. Let us be accountable for ourselves with the support of our friends and community. The current crisis will pass. Resist the urge to just “get back to normal.” Together we can work for a better normal. Through our disciplined approach to our personal readiness we will persevere. Start now.
(Kyle G. Phillips is an active duty Marine with nearly 22 years of service. The views presented are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of DoD, DON, or the Marine Corps.)
By: Coach Tom Clifford
(Wimington, NC)
Three exceptional women from Without Limits, Brittany Perkins, Peyton Thomas, and Erin Hogston all qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials which will be held on February 29th, 2020 in Atlanta Georgia.
BRITTANY PERKINS (30): Mother of Ruby Perkins, Wife to Matt Perkins and Works at Live Oak Bank as a Loan Operations Specialist
ERIN HOGSTON (39): Mother to Levi and Wyatte Hogston, Wife to Chad Hogston. Erin also works as a Real Estate Agent.
PEYTON THOMAS (24): Currently enrolled as a PhD candidate at UNCW in Marine Biology.
Brittany (left) Peyton (Center) Erin (Right)
It all started after the 2018 Boston Marathon when horrible weather conditions at the event meant exceptionally challenging racing conditions allowing American men and women to place abnormally high compared to the international athletes who typically dominate the field. I received a call from both Brittany and Erin, who had recently run 2:53 (Erin) and 2:54 (Brittany) at the NHRMC Wilmington Marathon just a few weeks before. Both were inspired seeing Desiree Linden win the race and several American men/women and masters runners place in the top 10. All 3 of us met and went over what it would take to run under 2:45 to qualify for the US Olympic trials (also known as an Olympic Trials Qualifier or OTQ). I said to them, “you are both talented, and this will be a process, but with hard work, dedication and WORKING TOGETHER, it is possible.”
Brittany and Erin committed to their goal. Equally as important, their husbands were also on board. Family support is a huge part of achieving such a challenging endeavor as an OTQ! Brittany and Erin are committed spouses and mothers, so a significant aspect of the discussion was ensuring the sacrifices that were about to face did not negatively affect their families.
The goal race was Houston, January 2019. We had 9 months.
Erin (38 years old at the time) was going to need to drop 8:30 off her best marathon time and Brittany (29 at the time) was going to need to drop 10 minutes off her best marathon time. Significant goals for any marathoner, let alone runners who already posted sub-3 hour marathons.
As the first week in October approached, we kicked off the training program with the Run for the Ta Tas 5K. Both ladies ran impressive 5K times but it also signaled the reality that we had a lot of work to do. The hot, humid early fall made for difficult racing and training and we needed some cool weather. In the middle of the training cycle, Brittany ran a 5:30 pace at the Richmond 8K which was a huge confidence booster. However, Brittany injured her hamstring which turned out to be a nagging injury for several weeks in the training. Erin sprained her ankle earlier that August and she had to back off training for 5 weeks in the middle of the training schedule. Both athletes were going into unknown territory. Neither of them had raced even a half marathon under 6:20s, so now having to do it over 26.2 was daunting. Knowing that they had some obstacles in the first training plan with unexpected injuries was also nerve wracking.
We decided we would do an all women’s half marathon in early December. Most of the race was on gravel. Brittany had major digestive issues and Erin’s ankle was just not in the best shape even though she had hit some decent workouts. We got Erin on the Alter G for a few weeks but almost threw in the towel on Houston all together. I didn’t want her to race if she was going to injure herself more or run slower than her last marathon.
Brittany Perkins
Finally we get to race day in Houston 2019. Brittany pulled off an unbelievable race and hit her OTQ in 2:44:15. She took 10 minutes off her best time. The biggest lesson for her was how much benefit she received from resting in the middle of training. The recovery played a key role even though she had some nagging pain in her hammy. Erin ran a 2:48:40 which was a 6 minute PR. Even though she was disappointed, she really took it in perspective and saw her opportunity for improvement. I honestly knew it was a long shot for both girls to take so much time off their previous marathon, but they raced up to their potential and we were all proud of that!
ALONG CAME PEYTON THOMAS AND LET’S NOT FORGET ABOUT ANN MARIE PIERCE
After Brittany got her time, now it was Erin’s decision on whether she was going to spend the next year training for another opportunity to OTQ. Along came Peyton Thomas, a Baylor University Graduate that began the PhD Program for Marine Biology at UNCW. In March 2019, Peyton ran the NHRMC Wilmington HALF Marathon in a blazing 1:15:20, only 2:20 off the A-Standard for the Olympic Marathon standard (in the half). After she ran that, she decided to go for the OTQ in the Full Marathon at California International Marathon (CIM) in December 2019. Ann Marie Pierce won the NHRMC Wilmington FULL in 2:48, motivating her as well to try to qualify. However for Ann Marie, she was blessed with getting pregnant, postponing her OTQ. With a new beautiful baby boy, Ann Marie will have to look to 2024:)
MOVING FORWARD TO CIM
A group of us began training for CIM in December. Erin and Peyton were our two elite women going for the OTQ. CIM markets and sets their race up for men and women to get the O
Peyton Thomas
TQ standard – if you are close, you have a great chance. Between summer and fall, Erin battled a TFL injury. This is a girl who rarely gets injured, but that first marathon cycle was hard on her body. She learned her weaknesses and worked on them all summer, but it was mentally tough trying to get back in shape. I encouraged her and promised her that if she kept her drive, confidence, and grit and just kept believing in the process, she would achieve her goal. It is super difficult training here in Southeastern NC. Dewpoints keep temps and heat indices in the 90-100 degree marker, so we had to think outside the box for our summer build.
CALIFORNIA INTERNATIONAL MARATHON
CIM weekend came, and it was like a bunch of caged animals – motivated, confident and ready to run fast. We were psyched! It was abnormally humid in California that day so hydration was going to be an issue. PEYTON QUALIFIED! In her first attempt, Peyton dropped a 2:42 and puked at the finish line. Peyton has so much more to give and I am so excited to see what she can do in Atlanta. Peyton is a full time student right now, so here “career” is still ahead of her. We are excited for Peyton. Erin came out just short at CIM. She ran a 2:46:30, another PR but not enough to qualify. Erin ran a hell of a race, however she started a little fast and she had a few issues with her nutrition at the water bottle tables.
THE NEXT 6 WEEKS
The flight home was time to reflect and time to think. I watched a hockey special about the Detroit Red Wings. It was all about the Russian 5 and how it took years to build up that team. When they should have won, they lost, but never gave up…then won 2 Stanley Cups in a row. THE LESSON? STAY IN THE GAME, WHEN YOU THINK IT’S OVER YOU ARE PROBABLY ON THE VERGE OF A BREAKTHROUGH!
Erin Hogston
I knew Erin could do it and she had nothing to lose if she decided to attempt the race again in Houston 2020. It was 6 weeks away. The most pressing question was how do you recover, build and taper AGAIN. Well, its tricky. We did a lot of research and talking. We began chipping away at workouts and communicating daily to see how everything was feeling. After 2 weeks, Erin decided she was going to try. She bought her flights and paid her entry. She had the CIM Marathon in her body as a big boost in fitness, and she had to be reminded that she was as fit as ever RIGHT NOW! We did some key workouts and 2 major semi long runs. She crushed everything, it was just enough but not too much. She had to be mentally and spiritually ready…….well……
HOUSTON 2020
Erin is on her way to Houston. She went alone, and we all had to bite our tongue because her husband Chad Hogston decided to show up Saturday before the race to surprise her with his support. That might have just been the icing on the cake……She executed a perfect race! Started out just as we planned and finished with a bang! 2:44:28. What an amazing story from a girl who grew up sprinter, and was a 400 meter hurdler at UNCW.
We are proud of all of our athletes at Without Limits. There is no question that TEAM and SUFFERING TOGETHER is the reason for success. Every day, we see regular people, husbands, wives, business owners, beginners, nurses, doctors, teachers, people who grew up foreign to running GET OUT THERE AND TRY! These ladies all started by TRYING and putting themselves and their goals publicly out there. If you are afraid of your goal, know that it might just be worth setting. You can’t put a timeline on it, just keep seeking it! Why not….you create your own reality of what you want to do. Ask God for guidance and strength and to give you the wisdom to take the right paths on your journey. If you do this…… You are WITHOUT LIMITS!