Woman, 38, turns life around, now running to benefit others

Kelda Latham-Bennett is alive and well, thank you.

At 38, she is more fit than most people her age, but it wasn’t always that way. And now, she has a story to tell about the varying courses a life may take.

Not too many years ago, Kelda was a drug addict, ultimately ending up in prison for her wayward behavior. However, to hear her reflect on it today, it was the best thing for her.

“Prison was an unimaginable gift of time for me,” Kelda said Thursday sitting in The Western News office.

“If I had gone on that way, the way I was, I’d be dead,” she said.

For Kelda, prison was just what she needed at just the right time. It provided her distance from the drug culture that had become such a big part of her life.

Prison provided a haven for her, Kelda said. And, it also provided a setting for her to find a new addiction — running.

It was inside the fences of the Oklahoma correctional facility that Kelda began running. Her efforts were just jogs at first, but soon she was hooked — addicted to a healthy habit, now enjoying the natural high felt by the endorphins exercise provides.

With this new interest, she began to read and research everything she could about running.

“I remember reading in ‘National Geographic’ magazine about a person who ran 125 miles across the Sahara Desert,” Kelda said. “And, I’m thinking, ‘that’s what I want to do, is run 100 miles.’ Certainly, if a person can run 125 miles through the Sahara Desert, certainly, I can run 100 miles in Montana.”

Kelda’s life became all about running.

Her life had turned around because she was incarcerated. And while running rehabbed her body, the prison system and the classes she achieved rehabbed her mind.

“On Oct. 6, 2006, I made a lifestyle change,” Kelda said. “Prison made a lifestyle change for me. I became clean and sober. I am cigarette- and soda-free,” Kelda exclaimed.

A graduate of the prison boot-camp program, Kelda received the schooling and education to turn her life around. She now is supervisor of the Montana Avenue Group Home and Flower Creek Group Home, a position she has held since Nov. 21, 2007.

Having a career helping others, she said, lets her give back. It has benefited Kelda, and while initially she was reluctant to share her story, she now tells of her personal experiences to help others.

“If others can benefit from hearing what I’ve done, it’s great,” Kelda said. “We all have our stories. It’s imperative that we take care of what we have because what we have will take us wherever we want to go.”

That quote, Kelda said, has become her mantra.

And now, she has married her vocation and her avocation — running — to help others.

While not the 100-mile trek of which she dreams, Kelda recently completed the 86-mile terrain from Libby to Kalispell on June 3 and 4.

After a 24-week training period in which she worked up to 79 miles a week, Kelda left the Park Side Thrift Store in Libby, which is affiliated with the Group Homes, and ran the 54 miles to McGregor Lake Resort Lodge where she spent the night. 

The next day, she completed the balance of the run to Flathead Industries, also affiliated with Achievements.

“It was tough, but I trained for it,” Kelda said. “The last six miles going into McGregor Lake, I was dehydrated. I did something I shouldn’t: I took off my water pack. It just seemed like it was getting heavy.”

Kelda’s effort was a fundraiser for Achievements. She took pledges for the run. In all, she raised $4,038.25 for her efforts.

It was the second time, Kelda has raised money for her running efforts. Last year, she raised $1,000 while running in the Torch Run, which benefits Special Olympics.

“When I ran past the Amish community, I was handed a $1 bill, and they apologized they could not give more,” Kelda said. “I told them every dollar helps. I told them they ‘just moved me from $702 to $703.’”

Achievements Director Pam Rhodes was riding in the support vehicle that accompanied Kelda.

“I had the honor of being with her for the entire run, in a vehicle,” Rhodes said.

“I was behind her every mile, and it was absolutely incredible and extremely emotional to watch someone accomplish such an amazing goal,” Rhodes said. “It should make us all stop and wonder of what we might be capable, should we have the dream, determination, dedication and belief in oneself.”

Rhodes said Kelda has exceeded their expectations.

“Our business is all about giving people a second chance,” Rhodes said. “Sometimes people with disabilities don’t get the benefit of a doubt, so we’re all about second chances.

“Kelda was honest about her past from the get-go. She had all these things she achieved while in prison (diplomas) and things she wanted to do. She has been good on her word and even exceeded what we’ve wanted and her own goals. She’s a good example of what people who get a second chance can do.”