25
GROUP SUCCESS
Knowing she needed guidance before attacking her
first half marathon, Maltby joined a local training
group and coaching service.
“I don’t know how people run without a group and
coaching program,” she says.
Running alongside others with compatible fitness
and speed inspires athletes to train hard enough while
protecting them from training too hard. Maltby has
seen a marked improvement since she began run-ning
with faster, more experienced intermediate- and
advanced-level athletes.
“I was so scared that the people were going to
make fun of me for being slow and it was the com-plete
opposite,” she says. “They are constantly sup-porting
me and pushing me to be my best in both
running and life.” Running with like-minded others
keeps things interesting, uplifting and fulfilling.
“Anna Banana — what I call her — is amazing,”
says Maltby’s coach, Kristen Jeno, a Level 1 U.S.A.
Track and Field Coach with Without Limits. “Her
dedication makes me smile. Athletes like her are why
I love to coach. She trusted me with her health and
performance, and I couldn’t be more thankful.”
Maltby credits her friends for helping her finish
her first marathon.
“Thank God for friends because I would have
never made it across that first marathon finish line
without them,” she says. “That’s the great thing about
running; it’s an individual sport but I could never
succeed at it without the support of other runners. I
have met the most amazing people through running,
and many have become the most incredible friends.”
Top: Peyton Chitty pauses before a Saturday long run in Wrightsville Beach. Above, from left: Chitty celebrates with daughter
Paxton after she placed third in the conference as a freshman at the 2017 New Hanover County Cross Country Conference
Championship; Chitty runs at the 2017 Cardinal Strut; and celebrates the second anniversary of his pacemaker implant, at the
2017 Kiawah Island Marathon.
www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM
COURTESY OF PEYTON CHITTY
STRUT FOR KIDS
COURTESY OF PEYTON CHITTY
ALLISON POTTER