After finishing her first marathon, Nancy West pulled off her shoes and socks and realized the rigors of the race cost her a toenail.

When West crossed the line in the Mountains 2 Beach marathon in Ventura, California she had tears streaming down her face. But it wasn't the tattered toe causing the emotional release.

"I was crying happy tears," she said.

A photograph of her crossing the finish line of the 26.2-mile event shows her lifting her left hand in victory. It was the right hand that tells the story. In her hand was her cellphone with her mother, Beth Bailey, on the other end.

"Mom was always a runner until she got cancer," West explained. "She either goes with me to my races or I call her for the finish."

West was inspired by her mother, who was a competitive runner. Bailey's passion for the sport was cut short when she was diagnosed with skin cancer. The disease ate a hole in the roof of her mouth, causing several issues despite her being in remission for several years.

"She's a fighter, that's for sure," West said.

The mother/daughter duo have always been close, when Bailey was diagnosed with cancer West was there for every chemotherapy appointment. She traveled to New Mexico with her for surgeries to remove Bailey's tumors.

"She has been my guardian angel ever since," Bailey said. "She's quite the lady."

Her mother, who specialized in sprinting, doesn't push her to do longer races. She knows the pain her daughter has gone through during her training and race career.

While attending Cody Middle School West developed patellofemoral pain syndrome, also known as runner's knee. It is a fairly common condition causing pain in the front of the knee around the kneecap. It's characterized by increased pressure between the kneecap (patella) and the thigh bone (femur). This pain is often exacerbated by activities like running, climbing stairs, or squatting, and may also occur after prolonged sitting, according to the Mayo Clinic.

It wasn't until her mother was diagnosed with cancer that she started running again. However, in the past four years West has broken her foot by overtraining and developed coxa saltans, also known as snapping hip syndrome or dancer's hip, a condition characterized by a snapping or popping sensation in the hip joint during movement. It's often painless but can sometimes be accompanied by pain and discomfort. West, unfortunately, got the painful version.

After each injury West was forced to stop training, heal, and then start again from scratch. It has slowed her goal of becoming an ultramarathon runner; races of 30 miles or more; often distances of 100 miles. She understands the need to heal, but it's "frustrating," she said.

Because they have completely different specialties, the duo don't spend a lot of time discussing strategies for West's races, but her mother did teach her one thing.

"When you see the finish line, hit it," Bailey told her.

West's first marathon may have been rough on the toes, but she did exactly as her mother advised and finished the race in 4 hours and 32 minutes, a very respectable time for a first-timer and placing her squarely between intermediate to high level recreational runners, according to the Marathon Handbook. Many first-timers aim to finish within 5-6 hours.

West's mother isn't the only one helping her meet her goals. Those pushing her the most are friends she has met through running.

"I was peer pressured into [the marathon]," West said.

David Holland, Jessica Lewis and James Comer all convinced her to join them in Ventura; something for which
she is thankful.

"They have convinced me to step out of my comfort zone," West said.

Her next marathon in Wyoming will be the Elk Basin Run — an eight-hour race on a 6-mile loop. You can run around the loop as many times as you can until time expires. Her goal is only to make it around the loop five times to be considered an ultra-marathoner, yet she may have a loop or two left in the tank after hitting her goal, she said.

Her goals are even more incredible considering she has two jobs, both in the medical field. She moved to Powell to attend Northwest College for training as a Certified Nurse Assistant and a Medical Assistant and now works at 307 Health in Powell (since 2021) and Cody Regional Long Term Care.

To keep up with her training she usually rolls out of bed and is on the road or at the gym by 4 a.m.

"I don't sleep very much," West said.

If the schedule sounds crazy, West would probably agree. However, her friends are used to her almost obsessive level of persistence and dedication.

"It's no surprise. Most people I tell already know I'm crazy," she said with a giggle.

One of her favorite annual events and the only one she participates with her mother is the Run for Hope in Cody. They do the 5-kilometer event — a little more than 3 miles.

"They have donated money and [needed] items to my mom to help her when she was going through chemo and radiation," West said. "It raises money for caregivers, survivors, those currently fighting and those who didn’t make it."

Sponsored by the Cody Soroptimist for the past 16 years, the 17th annual event is typically planned for fall. Sunlight Sports also sponsors the race.

Every chance West can get, she is with her mother. At the minimum they are on the phone every day. The Run for Hope event and the travels together to West's races will be special as long as it's possible.

"I'll never take for granted the time I get with my mom, I’m proud to have a survivor by my side," she said.