Why Forever Victory Lap

Posted on: 03.10.17 By: FVL Blogger Posted in: Blog

By Molly Scioli, written with Isabel Murphy

On August 22, 2015, I received the news that my younger sister, Catherine Nix (Cath, and sometimes “Nix”) had fallen off a mountain and died. She was 27 years old.

At the time, I was nine months pregnant with my fourth child. I was about to bring a life into the world, and I was preparing myself for that tremendous change. But I had no idea just how much the Universe had in store for me.

My three children tell me that I fell to the floor when I got the news. That image of me is seared in their memories. They bring up that night sometimes to total strangers, explaining that their aunt fell off a mountain and died, and that their mom fell on the floor and cried, “No, no, no,” a thousand times. At first, I couldn’t let myself believe the truth of what I had been told.

I had a lot to learn.

We have all searched for meaning in the wake of Cath’s death. Someone I spoke with about it explained to me that when people are going to pass they, “Don’t know, but they know.” They might do or say things that are almost like clues.

Looking back, I believe strongly that this is true. Cath had spent the year before her death tagging photographs of her adventures in the Tetons with #victorylap. She lived in Jackson Hole and taught at a residential school and treatment facility for disabled and emotionally disturbed youth. In true Cath spirit, it challenged her, but she loved it. She planned to get her PhD in child psychology at a school in New York so she could return to the Teton Valley to continue trying to heal young people in need.

Before she returned to our home state of NY for school, Cath wanted to keep a count of her adventures in the mountains. Cath’s brave and amazing friend Liz described the hashtag #victorylap as “a way for Cath to commemorate a bucket list. To see for the first time — or to see again — beautiful places in the Teton Valley, or a reason for her to accomplish unbelievable physical feats, like summiting the highest peak in Wyoming or biking Togwottee Pass. A way for her to celebrate her final months in the place she so loved.”

After Cath died, one of her friends and roommates in Jackson, Leslie, told me this story: “It was the beginning of August. I came home and was excited to see her car in the driveway, but when I went inside she wasn’t there. So I texted her to see when she’d be home. She said she was outside. I found her relaxing on the side of the house — a peculiar spot — in a green lounge chair from the garage, drinking a beer. It was a beautiful afternoon and we sat there talking about that day’s adventure, and laughing and reminiscing about things I can’t remember now. It was at this moment that I recognized an overwhelming sense of peace and joy in Nix. While Nix always exuded happiness — this was different. I remember thinking to myself: that a girl Nix, you can now move on to your next adventure knowing you fulfilled all of your Jackson dreams. All summer she was sad about leaving, but at this moment I feel as though she was ready. She was truly down to the core happy.”

Cath was happy because she had worked her way through her Jackson bucket list. After a summer of constant motion, she had claimed her victory lap.

It’s as if Cath set us up for the next steps. After she passed, #victorylap changed to #forevervictorylap. Liz used it on her Instagram account as an ode to all of the adventures that Cath had been on that summer and it has since turned into the inspiration for the nonprofit Forever Victory Lap.

Our goal is to continue Cath’s plan to help the children of the Teton Valley — and beyond. As Forever Victory Lap became a reality, we chose the Teton Valley Ranch Camp as the initial beneficiary of the funds that we raised.  It was an easy and natural decision for us. After all, TVRC was the reason that originally brought Cath to Wyoming, and it was a place that she loved.  During her time there, not only did she solidify her love of adventure and for the outdoors, she made life-long friendships with some of the most incredible people that you could ever wish to meet.  In the wake of her death, we received such an immeasurable amount of support from the TVRC community, and they continue to rally behind us to this day.  It was a no brainer for us to partner with them and their TVRC Education Foundation.

The mission of the TVRC Education Foundation is to provide educational excellence in summer camp programming; excellence that fosters responsibility, honesty, integrity, cooperation, conservation values and creative problem-solving among the entire camp community, in an enriching, safe, western environment.  Ideals that we know Cath was proud to live by. As we continue to grow, we look forward to branching out to other Teton Valley non-profits and learning how they support children and function in a spirit that would appeal to Cath. For more information on the TVRC Education Foundation, visit their website.

Forever Victory Lap is Cath’s legacy. It is about empowering children, and adults, to set goals and claim personal victories over their perceived physical or mental blocks. It is about doing something that you think you can’t do. Doing something that scares you. Or just doing something that you never thought you could do. Because, as Cath’s too-short life showed us, we don’t have time to waste.

We should all explore and adventure out into this beautiful world, feeling our own power and gaining unmeasured confidence. Just like Cath did.

2016 Jackson Hole Tyler Strandberg and Catherine Nix Memorial Relay

Posted on: 01.25.17 By: FVL Blogger Posted in: Blog

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.