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Whether she’s biking down the west coast, taking her message to D.C., or climbing a volcano in Ecuador, Nicole is running around the world to make amputees’ voices heard!

Check out Nicole’s latest posts and follow her @RunForrestStump:

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Today is the last day of May and I’m proud to sh Today is the last day of May and I’m proud to share I reached my 100 running miles #MobilityMay goal for #ROMP100! Definitely a cause to celebrate and also share how proud I am of my teammates, family, and friends who also set some amazing mobility goals this month and crushed them!!! Special shout out to my dear friend @sofster91 and her husband Yudi who together walked 100 miles in preparation for Sof’s upcoming due date!! She pushed through the constant bathroom breaks, swollen ankles, and uncomfortableness in order to join our team in supporting mobility for amputees everywhere. I am so proud of her and so grateful for her friendship! Thank you all for the support this past month, we did it! Love you all. #ROMP100 #runforreststump #amputee #access #run #bike #swim #running #runner #iloverunning #runnersofinstagram #goals #keepmoving #prosthetics #runningblade #bladerunners #neverquit #keepgoing #proud #crushedit
#womancrushwednesday and #happybirthday goes to my #womancrushwednesday and #happybirthday goes to my number one adventure partner @natharold! I’m so lucky to have such a beautiful, caring, smart, and funny woman to love. The quote “two are better than one” could not be more true; she makes me better in every way. We’ve done some pretty grand adventures together that I never thought in a million years I’d be able to do! 🌋🏊🏼‍♀️🚴🏼‍♀️🏃🏼‍♀️🦿🌲🥇Nat has encouraged and supported me to the ends of the earth. This day is for you!! Love you Nat! Happy Birthday! 🎈🎉 #happybirthday #partner #lgbtq #love #loveislove #bestfriend #adventure #runforreststump #girlfriend #xoxo #athlete #swim #bike #run #triathlon #beach #mountain #cotopaxi #mountain #sandy #amputee #prosthetic #inspire
Shout out to all the Team C A T A P U L T runners Shout out to all the Team C A T A P U L T runners completing the Texas Independence Relay this weekend including @phtptxclsv and @aaron_scheidies!! My shadow and I are cheering you on from afar! Being part of Catapult’s Sponsored Athlete Program this past year has been an incredible opportunity to connect with athletes just like me. I’m so thankful for their support of me, helping to fund my travel and competition expenses. Catapult is doing amazing work for our community and I’m proud to be a part of their mission. I’m also super excited to share that I will be a sponsored athlete for 2020 for Catapult! 💪🏾💙🖤🦿Although this race season is not what we expected, we are still making the most of it and finding new ways to train, inspire, and stay active. Thank you Catapult! 🙏🏽 @team_catapult #teamcatapult #sponsoredathlete #texasindependenceday #run #bike #swim #triathlon #runningblade #runforreststump #iloverunning #runner #runnersofinstagram #running #prosthetic #disability #access #policy #move #goals #stayactive #train #trainhard
If you’ve been following, my goal for #MobilityM If you’ve been following, my goal for #MobilityMay has been to run 100 miles. What I didn’t know is that I’d be adding another goal to that list... a century ride! When my friend, Forrest Stump teammate, and co-captain @deepal9 asked if I would help her complete her May goal (a 100 mile one day ride) I immediately said “I’m in.” Doing a century ride is a lot of fun, but it’s much better when you have people with you. With COVID-19, that has definitely limited our ability to have adventures with others. But I also knew I didn’t want Dee going out on the road alone, and doing 100 miles on a trainer by yourself would be torture. So today, we went out, stayed safe, and had a grand adventure! Although it rained and hailed on us for the first 80 miles, and we were in a semi-hypothermic state, we were all smiles and laughs. It felt really nice to be out in nature and have some semblance of normalcy, even if just for a little bit. Our ride even had a purpose! We found a disposed hand gun on the side of the road and notified authorities who immediately handled the situation. We completed our final 20 miles on the trainer, which honestly felt twice as long as the first 80...😝😂 And there was even a rainbow waiting for us as a celebration at the end. 🌈 Super proud of Dee and glad we were able to accomplish this together. #ROMP100 #RunForrestStump #rompglobal #lifewithoutlimitations #ossur #oregon #colmbiarivergorge #centuryride #biking #cycling #cyclists #welovebiking #triathlon #swim #bike #run #triathletes #goals #pushyourself #rain #nature #water #beauty #optoutside
50 miles down, 50 miles to go on my way to 100 tot 50 miles down, 50 miles to go on my way to 100 total running miles for #MobilityMay with @rompglobal! I am starting to feel the gains this month and have felt really good and really strong on my runs. Ready to set some big goals with this blade! Additionally, our team has raised $1,115 towards our $1,500 goal for May. We are so close!! Thank you to all who have donated and continue to support our #TeamForrestStump. We are shifting gears and developing something really cool we are excited to announce in the coming weeks! Life has given us lemons 🍋 and we are making some #legit lemonade. Please continue to support us and cheer us on, it really does mean the world 🌍 to us. My teammates have some pretty awesome goals themselves, so let’s cheer them on too: @mallorieruns is doing 40 miles and 60 pike burpees 🏃🏽‍♀️ @deepal9 is doing a one day century ride 🚴🏼‍♀️ @linagarada is doing 100 foot miles with minimum of 15 running and the rest intentional active recovery like walking and hiking 🥾 @jamiebrowntri is putting in 100 running miles in May 🏃🏻 @hkstrickler_sportsrd is doing 100 KB swings every day, completing a total of 100 hand stand push ups in the month of May, and swimming a total of 100 miles between now and the Hood to Coast relay! 🏋🏼‍♀️🤸🏼‍♂️🏊🏼‍♀️ @natharold is running/walking 100 miles, sewing 100 face masks, and raising $250 😷 @stephharold is running 100 miles, doing 100 push ups per day, and sewing 100 face masks! 🧵💪🏾 Super motivated by this incredible team working hard to achieve their own personal goals while also pushing Forrest Stump’s mission forward. Thank you for your support! #ROMP100 #MobilityMay #ForrestStump #RunForrestStump #goals #pushyourself #athlete #triathlon #swim #bike #run #lifewithoutlimitations #neverstop #dontquit #iloverunning #runner #runnersofinstagram #runninglife #runningmotivation #runningismytherapy #COVID19
“To get through the hardest journey we need take “To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping.” #chineseproverb A lot of changes this past week, including finding out the Hood To Coast Relay @htcrelay has officially been cancelled for 2020 due to COVID-19. This is incredibly disappointing for our team; we all had our minds set on racing this iconic PNW beauty together, in person in August. Although we can’t replace the event in the capacity it would have been, we can certainly recreate something of our own. I am inspired by our team’s collective ability to bounce back and push forward. We are already planning our next steps and we most certainly will not give up. We are more determined than ever to continue to stay active and share our mission with the world. Thank you to all who have donated so far, your funds will be put straight to use for #ForrestStump and we are excited to share what that will look like in the coming weeks! Today, more than any day, I am reminded every journey begins with a single step and it is up to us to decide to take it. #keepmoving #pushforward #goals #together #bounceback #athlete #covid19 #hoodtocoast #relay #oregon #change #swim #bike #run #triathlon #persevere #virtual #runforreststump #resilient #adaptive #challenge #overcome #overcomeobstacles
Happy Mother’s Day to “the best mom in the wor Happy Mother’s Day to “the best mom in the world!” 😊 True in 1999, and in 2020! You’ve always made me feel seen, heard, and loved. Life’s greatest gift! I am thankful for having a feminist mom like you who has always taught me to stand up for myself and others. Missing you this Mother’s Day and wishing we could watch one of our favorite #womanpower classics together “Fried Green Tomatoes,” “A League of Their Own”, or sing together to “The Sound of Music.” 🤩 Looking forward to our next hike together in Northern Michigan. Love you mom! #mom #mothersday #loveyou #adventure #beautiful #missyou #feminist #love #hero #active #outside #optoutside #athlete #swim #bike #run #hike #advocate #socialdistancing #covid_19 #michigan #torchlake #hiking #woods #nature #quote #memories
First #ForrestStump @htcrelay team call in the boo First #ForrestStump @htcrelay team call in the books! Literally the highlight of my day being able to chat with these incredible people. So many laughs, smiles, and good fun. An amazing team already in the making. Having this community right now means the world to me during this challenging time. Fingers crossed we will all be stuck in a smelly, sweaty van together soon! 😛💪🏽 We are each committing to our own #MobilityMay challenge this month, to “Do 100, Raise $100” with @rompglobal. Excited to share each of our goals with you in the weeks to come. Thanks for your support and encouragement of our team! We are 60% of the way to our fundraising goal for the month, can you help support? Link in bio! #goals #run #running #teamwork #hoodtocoast #zoom #covid19 #challengedathletes #adaptive #disability #fundraise #runnersofinstagram #virtual #socialdistancing #training #athlete #pushyourself #goal #mobilitymay #ROMP100 #runforreststump #mobilityforall #raisethebar
18.9/100 miles down towards my running goal this m 18.9/100 miles down towards my running goal this month! Thinking back to when I had just my walking leg, there was no way I could put in this amount of mileage. Goals like these would have left me with a broken prosthesis and severe back pain. I’m so thankful for my @ossur running blade and I know other amputees echo the incredible benefits of having a running specific prosthesis. My mobility is my life and setting goals like these is what truly drives my fire. Proud of my #ForrestStump teammates who are making it happen for @rompglobal’s #MobilityMay and training hard for #HoodToCoast2020! They are not only incredible athletes, but advocates for better access to physical activity for the disability community. Thanks to all of you for cheering us on and your support of our fundraising goal this month! Your support is so appreciated. If you can help, please consider donating to our hardworking team. Your funds drive our miles!! Link in bio. Thank you! 🙏🏽 🏃🏽‍♀️👨🏾‍🦽👨‍🦯🧑‍🦽🦿 #runner #run #running #iloverunning #train #triathlete #athlete #triathlon #swim #bike #mobility #goals #runforreststump #raisethebar #keepgoing #pushyourself #nevergiveup #motivation #transformation #consistency #catapult #ossur #lifewithoutlimitations #usaparatriathlon #runnersofinstagram #rompglobal
You know it’s a good run when you can pour out t You know it’s a good run when you can pour out the sweat after! 💦 Day 1 of #ROMP100 challenge for #MobilityMay is in the books. A solid 5.35 miles around the track today, workout courtesy of coach @jamiebrowntri 🤙🏽😝. Looking forward to 100 miles in May, one at a time! Thanks to those of you who have already donated and/or joined our team! Please consider supporting our Hood To Coast team as we up our training game this month. $5, $10, $25, $100... any amount helps! Thank you! (Link to donate in bio) #sweat #amputee #puttinginthework #run #runner #runnersofinstagram #disability #access #technology #triathlete #usatriathlon #usaparatriathlon #prosthetic #iloverunning #rompglobal #gratitude #support #goals #keepgoing #runforreststump #neverquit #equalrights #disabilityrights
A year ago my friend @deepal9 said to me “How co A year ago my friend @deepal9 said to me “How cool would it be to bring together a team of adaptive athletes to run Hood To Coast (HTC)!?” Not knowing much about HTC, I was instantly gripped when I found out it was the largest running relay in the world... a grueling 24-hour straight 200 mile race from Mt Hood to the Oregon Coast... which draws in over 12,000 runners each year! After a bit of research I was quick to find out that not many athletes with disabilities have done HTC, let alone an entire team at once. Our athletes would make up less than 1% of the entire racers. We knew we had to make our mark, and this would be an opportunity for #ForrestStump to expand its group of advocates. So we entered the lottery (which is notoriously hard to get into) and were shocked when we found out we got in on the first try! We were ecstatic, and immediately got to work building a team of athletes who demonstrated grit, perseverance, positivity and teamwork. Because we’d be spending 24 hours together, in vans, in less than ideal conditions, all while racing our hearts out, we knew these individuals would have to be pretty special and pretty crazy to join us. I’m excited to announce that team here! Each person has an incredible story and is an advocate in their own right. Of course with COVID-19, there is a lot of uncertainty about race day happening on August 28, 2020. BUT, I do know that in this crazy time, despite so much uncertainty, we still have control of how we adapt, what we put our minds to, and how we persevere forward together. This team WILL RACE in some capacity, and in so doing we will call attention to the need for equitable access to physical activity for athletes like us. Our team is kicking off this month in May by joining @rompglobal in their #ROMP100 Challenge for #MobilityMay! We will each be committing to “Do 100, Raise $100” for our team. My goal is 100 miles of running in May! Will you join us? Will you support us? Your donation is greatly appreciated and we look forward to sharing more about our team and crushing our goals in the weeks to come. Thank you!!! Donation link in bio. 🙏🏽🔥🦿 #runforreststump #raisethebar #mobilityforall
Did a little cross training today. 😂 📸 cred: Did a little cross training today. 😂 📸 cred: @stephharold #hopscotch #chalk #chalkart #runforreststump #quarantine #triathlon #swim #bike #run #play #triathlete #keepmoving #amputee #prosthetics #smile #havefun #runner #laugh #makelemonade #keepgoing #headup #crosstraining #kidatheart
“I am a strong woman because a strong woman rais “I am a strong woman because a strong woman raised me.” Happy Birthday to my amazing mom, Jan! Anyone who knows my mom knows how kind, caring, and compassionate she is! Very few know her story like I do and the tremendous obstacles she has endured over her life. The injustices could have made my mom a bitter person, but she has always risen above it and chosen love and forgiveness. She has shown me what a true leader is and should be, how to harness our emotions for good, take responsibility for our actions, and to recognize the humanity in everyone. She is truly a real life super hero. I am incredibly lucky to call her my mom! #happybirthday #loveyou #mom #mymom #birthday #celebrate #fierce #fiercewomen #advocate #leader #woman #runforreststump #advocacy #hero #superhero
Happy 15th Birthday to @rompglobal! 🥳🏔 Tomor Happy 15th Birthday to @rompglobal! 🥳🏔 Tomorrow I’ll be taking over ROMP’s Instagram in celebration of their birthday and #limblossawarenessmonth, so come on over to hear some stories! Traveling to Ecuador and climbing #cotopaxi among a team of amputees was one of the most transformative experiences of my life! I am so grateful to ROMP for each and every human they empower through their community and prosthetic access. When @natharold and I first arrived to Ecuador we went to one of the highest points in Quito, called El Teleferico, to get an amazing view of the city and acclimatize. While we were there, this kind woman and man came over to us to ask me about my prosthesis. Little did I know, the woman was an amputee too...until she lifted up her dress to show me her leg with a big smile. We were instantly bonded despite being from different countries and speaking different languages. She said she needed help getting a better prosthesis so we instantly referred them to ROMP. It was divine intervention! ROMP is truly changing lives and I’m proud to be a small part of their incredible mission. See you tomorrow! #ROMP #instagramtakeover #spreadhopenotgerms #ecuador #prosthetics #access #limbloss #amputee #healthcare #ecuador #athlete #mountains #hiking #healthcare #mobility #freetomove #justkeepmoving #human #giveback #helpothers #rangeofmotionproject
Feeling really grateful right now, but questioning Feeling really grateful right now, but questioning our healthcare system more than ever. I had an emergency tooth extraction earlier this week due to an abscessed tooth and rampant bacterial infection. I’ve known about the abscess for months but have put off dealing with it because I didn’t want to face the major medical expense that would come with taking it out. Thankfully, my partner @natharold realized the fever, pain, and foul odor coming from my tooth was not something I could continue to put off and encouraged me to get it out immediately. That we would figure something out together. Without care, the infection was at risk of spreading to my jaw and other areas of my head, and potentially developing into sepsis. Luckily, Nat has a great connection with a dentist she’s seen for 20+ years who was willing to see me despite their clinic being closed due to COVID. It wasn’t exactly how I imagined my social distancing going... having someone stick their hands in my mouth... but I’m so incredibly grateful that it’s out and I’m on antibiotics. But now comes the harder part: planning and paying for a $4,000 implant in the next 6 months that is not covered by my insurance. I don’t say this to ask for help, but to show as an example the flaws in our healthcare system. The decisions and sacrifices people must make to put their health first. I just wonder... if my parents had not had the financial capacity or insurance to amputate my leg, would they have put it off for months? Risking further cancer spread and death? How many people in our country put off their health because of money? I should know better than anyone to not put off these serious issues, and yet I found myself in the same trap. Forrest Stump has been an incredible passion of mine, but it has come at a severe financial sacrifice over the past 3 years. It’s because of expenses like these that I wonder if I can continue on. I wonder how many more entrepreneurs, dream chasers, and glass ceiling breakers would exist out there if it weren’t for the astronomical expense of healthcare, and the financial devastation that comes with it. #covid19 #reallife #healthcare #struggle #amputee #access #advocacy #human
I can’t believe it’s been TWO YEARS since I ra I can’t believe it’s been TWO YEARS since I ran my first few glorious steps on my running blade. In this time, I’ve logged quite a few miles. This baby has taken me places! And now it’s time to retire it. With all the miles, the carbon fiber blade has started to delaminate and is on the verge of breaking. It’s no longer safe to run on, and also with a reduction in energy return it has started to impact my body and gait. I can’t draw a complete correlation, but two groin strains over the past few months might point to some issues going on. With COVID-19 taking hold of our healthcare system, I was nervous this might get pushed to the back burner, but once again I’m in awe of some absolutely incredible individuals and their dedication to help me. Thank you to @hapamama949 and @ossur for donating me a new Cheetah running blade and to @cornerstoneprosthetics for once again agreeing to do this work pro bono since insurance companies continue to discriminate and won’t cover it. Cornerstone has been incredibly supportive to ensure I’m taken care of and that I can keep running even during this time of COVID-19. They are miracle workers! So... drum roll... Here I am running on my new blade! You know that feeling when you get a fresh hair cut, or new pair of shoes??? Ok, multiply that by 1000, and that’s what this feels like! I’m floating on air right now! I hadn’t realized how much my other blade had truly delaminated. This thing is giving me💥power💥and I’m loving it! A high schooler asked me today, what does it feel like? Honestly, the best way to put it is that this running blade is the closest I’ve ever felt to having my leg back. The energy return it provides matches my right leg in a way no other prosthesis ever could. It makes me feel strong and fast. It has allowed me to be the athlete I’ve always wanted to be. So, in this time of incredible darkness and uncertainty, I want you all to know that there is still a bright light out there shining! As a community, as a country, there is still so much room for happiness and love and gratitude and smiles. Thank you for putting a smile on my face this week... and for the next two years! #COVID-19 #runforreststump
There’s a quote that as an athlete, I absolutely There’s a quote that as an athlete, I absolutely love: “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.” Although I couldn’t agree more about work ethic, I would say that as an athlete with a disability, sometimes it takes a little something *extra*. A little bit of what to me, often feels like ✨magic✨🤩. This magic comes to me from the incredible organization, the Challenged Athletes Foundation @cafoundation. From my first running blade to my triathlon bike to meeting my now-coach, this organization has empowered my goals as an athlete and amputee to compete at the highest level with @usaparatriathlon! The past couple weeks have been tough with COVID-19 canceling races, shutting down gyms & pools, and postponing the Paralympics to 2021. To many it’s been absolutely devastating and soul-crushing. But today, something different happened. A little ✨magic✨appeared back into my life right at the time we needed it most! Thank you CAF for my 2020 Grant Award to continue my dreams, showing me that even in the toughest of times we can still power through! Thank you CAF!! #CAFPowersThrough #TeamCAF #magical #amputee #athlete #triathlon #swim #bike #run #smile #keepgoing #neverstop #powerthrough #goals #dreams #passion #disability #tokyo2020 #paralympics #paratriathlon #triathlete #runforreststump #iloverunning #runner #run #gratitude #wakeup #begrateful
“Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.” Toda “Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.” Today was a spectacular sunny day in Seattle! Felt so blessed to get outside for a nice and easy 7-mile run. I think we’ve all been feeling a little more cooped up and out of sorts than usual and this was just what we needed. @natharold biked alongside me playing some of our favorite music including @brandicarlile and @theheadandtheheart. We even came across some beautiful chalk art and a rainbow 🌈 !! It made me think how the small things in life really do make a difference and we all have the opportunity to do something small for one another each day. What rainbows will you leave for others this week? #rainbow #seattle #sunshine #spreadhopenotgerms #covid19 #triathlon #swim #bike #run #triathlete #iloverunning #runner #bladerunner #amputee #prosthetics #ossur #lifewithoutlimitations #teamcaf #runforreststump #optoutside #bearainbow #cheer #happiness #joy #love #lgbtq #lovewins #goals #train #trainharder
“Nothing ever goes away until it teaches us what “Nothing ever goes away until it teaches us what we need to know.” In a time of “social distancing” and extreme physical separation, I feel this virus 🦠 can bring us closer together, if we choose to learn from it. My hope is that we take away from this crisis a different way of seeing the world. A way that many of us with a disability already see the world, but those with able-bodied privilege often do not. In particular, I’ve reflected on the concept of “social distancing.” Many individuals have found it challenging to be locked up, working from home, unable to go to the gym, to play on their sports teams, frequent some of their favorite places, or easily see their friends and family. Social distancing, social isolation, social exclusion... whatever you want to call it. It is nothing new to the disability population. This has been our way of life. We are constantly confronted with physical, human, and political barriers to building social connections. From the inaccessibility of our streets and buildings, to bias in hiring practices that keeps our community unemployed, to lack of sports teams or gyms without equipment we can use, to poor levels of public understanding and awareness that literally keep people from interacting with us because our disability makes them feel uncomfortable. As a result, 50% of people with disabilities report feeling lonely. And people with physical disabilities are 3x more likely to experience depression than the general population. With COVID-19 and many people engaging in social distancing, we’ve started to share articles about the mental health effects, which are all too real and we must confront. But I will say one thing: Social isolation under COVID-19 is different. We are all bonded right now by the fact we are all in this together. “If I have to stay home, at least they do too.” People with disabilities haven’t had that mental luxury. The social isolation, exclusion is much more real, mentally draining, and depressing. [post continued in comments because I have a lot to say on this, thanks for reading 🙏🏽]
All pools and gyms are now closed in the state of All pools and gyms are now closed in the state of Washington until March 31st, and perhaps longer. This is definitely a huge disruption in my training, but I’m always reminded to keep my reality in check. This decision is for the betterment of our entire community, to give us time to slow down the spread of this virus and save lives. To the naysayers out there that say we’re overreacting: 1) your comments are hurtful to those of us who are listening to the experts and actively sacrificing to help others while you stand by and selfishly do nothing, 2) do you have a degree in epidemiology or public health? If not, sit the f#@$ down and wash your hands again bc you probably didn’t use soap or scrub them for 20 seconds either, 3) And you sure better hope the best case scenario is that we overreacted to this problem! Because if we did, then that means we saved millions of lives. And who will be the heroes then, as you stood by and put your own selfish needs before others? Do you want to see the alternative? I’ll leave you with a photo of me smiling after completing a hard workout in the pool. I’m going to miss it, and I’m going to have to find another way to train. But there are times in life when we need to put our own personal agenda aside to raise up our community and look out for others. If you’re not actively doing this, take a good hard look in the mirror. Are you going to be the person who shared funny memes and brushed off the severity of this pandemic while people died around you? Are you going to be the one who went out partying because you knew you were young and healthy? Are you going to take advantage of cheap tickets and spread the virus around the world? It’s up to you and only you to decide how you’re going to act. You are writing YOUR history and no one else. How do you want to be remembered? That is the end of my #feistywoman TED talk. Thanks to all of you who ARE doing your part in our communities! #feisty #covid19 #triathlon #swim #bike #run #triathlete #athlete #community #quarantine #publichealth #safety #community #pandemic #writeyourhistory #growup #bettertogether #amputee #runforreststump #seattle
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