Guest blogger Liz Andrews
Reprinted with permission.
You can follow Liz’s blog at http://forevervictorylap.tumblr.com
Jan 2016
“though she be but little, she is fierce” – Shakespeare
Forever Victory Lap. Three words that meant nothing to me until August 22nd and I’m finally sitting down to try to figure out what they actually signify, 4 months later. So what does it mean to have a “forever victory lap”? A victory lap is a term used in motorsports and academics, it’s the title of a song written by Macklemore, it’s referenced in the running world, and it can be completed by an individual or a team. It’s a lap of honor, of celebration. And when Catherine Nix started using it to tag all of her pictures of her last summer in Jackson Hole, it was a way for her 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 Togwotee Pass. A way for her to celebrate her final months in the place she so loved.
After Nixy died in August, the tag transformed from “victory lap” to “forever victory lap” allowing all of us to continue her legacy in our attempts to imbue our lives with her ferocity and her spirit and her laughter. To take advantage of the places we live in while remembering the motto she never said, but always lived by: you are stronger than you think you are and you can do more than you believe you can. She was the one who ran back-to-back weekend marathons, chasing a Boston qualifying time. The one who could sprint up every trail in GTNP, but always remembered to hang back to whatever your pace was so you could chat life and goals and passions. The one who dropped everything to spend time with the people she loved. The one who prioritized taking care of people and being the best mentor and confidante and friend. The one who knew her life’s work was to help children who were less fortunate than most. The one whose size of her heart outweighed her body 50 to 1.
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