Guest blog by Maddie McQueeney, a friend of Catherine Nix
In 2011, I ran my first marathon. As I trudged up the hill to Cascade restaurant afterward, all I could think about was their Bloody Mary. I threw myself into a steel chair on the patio, and awaited service. A small, dry-humored waitress appeared, glanced at my marathon bib and laughed in my face. She made a quip about my sanity (because who would voluntarily run 26.2 miles?), and then told me she was going to make my Bloody Mary a double (no complaints). Lauren Barrett, a friend of hers from Colby, sat down beside me. She introduced us, and by the end of the meal I had asked for Nixy’s phone number so we could hang out again.
If it sounds like a love story, that’s because it was. We were genuinely friends at first sight. Despite the fact that she heckled me relentlessly about the marathon that first day, she went on to race 26.2 miles on three separate occasions. Two of them were back to back weekends, and she ran all of them in under four hours. In 2015, she set her sights on a fourth marathon in NYC, which was a fundraiser for charity. I donated to Nixy’s cause the day before her death. Her last text to me was a thank you. So you might say that we began and ended our friendship with marathons.
Now, however, I hope to memorialize our friendship through marathons. As evidenced by everyone who has run in memory of Tyler and Nix since, their conquests on the trails left us inspired. We are all striving to live like them, and through that we are finding happiness. The race in Jackson Hole holds a special place in my heart not just because of Nixy, but because of the memories I have with Tyler as well. As they were both close friends of mine, I am glad to find ways to celebrate their lives together. I ran part of the race with each of them on separate occasions, and all of our friendships had a solid foundation in the sport.
Tyler and C-V students cheering for Nix
Maddie running a stint with Catherine and Rob
The first time Nixy ran the JH marathon, Tyler brought the kids from C-V Ranch out to cheer her on. The support gave Nix a burst of speed that turned her marathon partner, Rob McCary, an inhuman shade of gray as he tried to keep up with her those last miles. The memory still makes me smile, and is a tribute to the support and love those two showed each other.
So, shortly after their deaths, when John Williams asked me if I wanted to run the race in memory of them, it gave me an idea. Their accident had struck the whole town. Friends, acquaintances and even strangers grieved them. It seemed that everyone was looking for a way to celebrate their lives, while gathering together in support of each other. So I put up an open invite on Facebook — anyone who wanted to run the marathon in their honor should sign up. Most of us were too out of shape to run the whole thing, but we could run the relay. Over 50 people showed up that day. I remember sadness, but mostly I remember laughter. It rained the whole race, except when we crossed the finish line. Then, it felt like the sun came out just for us. The founder of the race was so moved that he named the relay in honor of them. My greatest hope is that it will continue to inspire support, laughter and the memory of their friendship for years to come.
2015 Relay in honor of Catherine and Tyler
Moving forward, I will continue to honor the friendships that I had with the two of them by running a marathon or half marathon every year. Yet, I will always do it with a friend by my side. This year I chose to run the JH marathon again. I hugged each member of the Nix and Strandberg clan along the way, as the sport gave me strength, and the event gave me a reason to celebrate. I hope the happiness was contagious, as all of their friends and family cheered each other on from the sidelines and roadways. From North Carolina, to Texas, to Colorado and New York, people showed up to celebrate two incredible lives, and in doing so, had an incredible time.
September 2016 Marathon relay teams and fans who participated in the Tyler Strandberg and Catherine Nix Memorial Relay
A month later I ran a trail marathon with my boyfriend, Rob. It was a more private affair, and gave me time to reflect on all the adventures I had with the two of them. The morning of the race, it snowed enough to force the course to be re-routed. A gentle reminder that not all of the paths we treaded on together were dirt, we shared many memories on snow as well. It is those adventures that I hold closest to my heart, so I can’t imagine a better tribute than to continue to generate memories with others in that way. It is a way of moving on, while still holding them near.