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☰
Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.8 
Organization 5.0 
Spectators 4.9
Number of comments: 90 [displaying comments 61 to 71]
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B. E. from Forest Lake, MN
(1/10/2010)
"Awesome Marathon!" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The Saturday night pre-race dinner was at the college cafeteria and it was amazing. It was more like an upscale restaurant. They had whatever you wanted, and it all was great food. We received a lot of goodies in our bag, along with the best homemade cookies. The race was very well organized by Dick and the St. Olaf Women's Track Team counted our laps and cheered for us the entire way. Thanks, Loren! It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience and one I would do again. We received medals at the finish and later our tee, photo and certificate will be mailed. The friendliest marathon around. MN, nice! | |
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D. D. from USA
(1/10/2010)
"Great Race" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This race is very well organized. Thanks, Dick. The girls from the track team who count the laps are a great support. | |
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R. T. from Virginia
(1/10/2010)
"The Gold Standard of Marathons" (about: 2010)
50+ previous marathons
| 3 Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The problem with perfection is that it is, well, perfection, and you can't do better than perfection. If you've run a race twice and loved every minute of it, odds are that the only thing that lies ahead is disappointment when a perfect 10 is reduced to a 9.875. That said, there may come a day when the Zoom! Yah! Yah! Marathon does not live up to my expectations. There may come a day where I have to take it off my list of favorite races. But that day will not come in 2010, and if the outstanding organization, dedication and friendly feel of this race continues, it may never come. Simply put, this is what every race should be. If you have read the descriptions, you know what this race is about - 150 laps of an indoor track, going round and round in ovals until you've completed the marathon distance. And if that seems boring to you, well, then you don't know what the Zoom! Yah! Yah! is about. The ZYY features the friendliest runners you will ever meet, including the natives of Northfield, who will take you under their wing like they've known you for years. Over 150 laps, you will hear you name called out by fellow runners, spectators, and most importantly, by the women of the St. Olaf Cross Country and Track teams, who wake up early on a Sunday morning just to count laps - one athlete per runner. They will cheer for you, sing for you, count each and every trip you make around the oval, recording your time with each passing. It will be, hands down, the most support you have ever received in a race. It is the only race in America where it is impossible to go through a single minute without smiling. The race director, a marathon runner himself, has thought of everything, taking care of what is undoubtedly the best pre-race dinner in the business, offering all the pre-race information you could ever need and making sure your questions and concerns are taken care of. His willingness to listen to suggestions and then act upon them is the main reason that this perfect race keeps raising the bar for perfection. There are many other marathons in the U.S.A. There are other Minnesota marathons. There are other indoor marathons. But the ZYY stands alone from all of them. It simply defines perfection. | |
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K. K. from Minnesota US
(2/15/2009)
"You had the best cheering squad in the US." (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I've never run an indoor marathon before, so this was my first. I enjoyed it so much. My counter, Heather, and her friend were a better cheering squad than the Wellesley College girls in the Boston Marathon. The entire marathon was organized so well. Dick and his team did a terrific job!!! See you next year! Thanks!!! | |
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D. N. from Toronto Canada
(2/6/2009)
"This one's a gem!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race is special in every way: the organization is superb (thanks, Dick), the St. Olaf Track Team terrific (thanks to all, and a special thanks to Lauren, my counter), the spectators legion and loud, the music great, and the other runners inspirational. The small field ensures a camaraderie among all the runners, from the first to the last, and the intimate venue means that every runner sees his or her personal cheering section every 282 meters! This is one diamond of a race and is not to be missed. | |
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l. j. from New Jersey
(2/2/2009)
"wow" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 11th marathon, and my most memorable by far. Like all the other comments, the race's organization was outstanding, Dick does a tremendous job. I also have to thank my lap counter, Andrea, for being there to cheer me on at every single lap - and to always remind me of how many laps I had left to go! (It's easy to lose track!) The ladies of St. Olaf's Track and Field team were AMAZING! They deserve so much credit for helping us out! I also want to thank the spectators who learned every runner's name and cheered us on every lap. It was great to pass the St. Olaf straightaway each lap, knowing we'd hear cheering there, but to have people elsewhere on the track cheering my name was so, so great! I must say that I love running on the track and don't have a problem running around and around for miles and miles.... Most people do not share this view, so this may not be the race for you. When I heard about this race, I thought, what a great way to pace myself the entire race - no hills, no wind, perfect temperature. But once the race started, all thoughts of "pacing" myself went out the window. With 5.7 laps to the mile on a 282 meter track, hitting the lap button every minute and change, and doing the math in your head takes up a lot of time, and guesstimating mile splits suddenly seemed too tedious. So for the first time ever, I did not use my watch, had no clue what my mile splits were, and had a blast! I ran the entire race going with how I felt, and I wasn't too far off my usual times. Makes me rethink all the time I spend during a race stressing over a few seconds per mile. Something else for future participants to take note of: I thought it was great to have tables set up for our liquids, GU, and food; and I thought it would be awesome not to have to carry anything on me for the race for once. I realize now that I think that actually slowed me down because, while I normally drink and GU while running, I had to slow down due to the turn, and I stopped more than I normally would. Many people have asked, after wanting to know why running 150 laps appealed to me in the first place, if I got bored while doing it. While there were times when I couldn't believe how much more I had left, the race went by a lot more quickly than I thought it would. You were literally getting passed or passing someone every 15 seconds, so you always felt in the race . And when I finished, I felt better than I normally do at the end of a marathon. I think the great surface had a lot to do with it. I also have to add that we just got our shirts in the mail a few weeks after the race.... because our results are printed on the back of them!!! I've never been one to go gaga over a race shirt, but this is the coolest shirt I've ever gotten, and worth waiting for! It rocks!! (If I had known every time I wear it my time will be shown, maybe I would have run a little faster!) I was so impressed with this race, and am so glad that I was able to be a part of it this year. I definitely picked the best race in Minnesota to check that state off my list! I guess the best question to ask after you do a race is: would you do it again? And as crazy as it sounds, I would! | |
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S. K. from Chicago, IL
(1/25/2009)
"Outstanding, thanks to Dick and the ladies!" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 5th marathon, and my best experience. I've run Chicago (twice), Milwaukee and Rocket City, and the ZYY blew them all away. Dick Daymont and the St. Olaf Women's Cross Country team made the entire weekend experience a joy. Some of my highlights: - The Friday night expo/dinner was great. I met all the runners, many of their families, and the food at St. Olaf was plentiful and done well. - Dick gave me a pass to see the St. Olaf Women's hockey team in a game Friday night. What personal service. Thanks, Dick! - The course was great, 150 laps to the mile. It was almost double the size of the track I do most of my winter miles on. - The St. Olaf women were wonderful, cheering on every lap, and chanting your name for your ENTIRE last lap. - My scorer, Margaret, was especially motivating. I didn't want to slow down for fear of disappointing her. - The pace gorilla. - The runners all encouraged each other, sort of a "we're all in this together" feeling. - The other spectators were more supportive than any other marathon I've run. - Very easy to pace yourself each lap. - I love the handwritten form that logs every mile's split, plus the finish time, a great keepsake. This is the oldest, and best indoor marathon. The time flew by, and I wasn't ever bored. Far from it, I had a blast for 4:37, and that's an 8-minute PR for me. Well done, Dick Daymont, and the St. Olaf Women's Cross-Country Team. I had a GREAT time! | |
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J. G. from STL, MO
(1/20/2009)
"A Must-Run" (about: 2009)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 People thought I was crazy when I told them I was going to run a marathon in Minnesota... in January. Zoom! Yah! Yah! more than surpassed my expectations and has left me still talking about the race nearly 2 weeks later. Five stars can't even begin to describe this event and I wholeheartedly agree with everyone's positive comments before mine. Dick has the organization down to the last detail. Several e-mails and announcements came prior to the race to calm any doubts and it's definitely not the norm to receive the director's open invitation and phone number should anything else arise! Dick gets to know each runner individually and becomes as big of a supporter on the course as anyone. The post-race details were fantastic! You can see the devotion and time invested into the event through the detail of the results: by time, by state, by age bracket, etc. He analyzes the data every way possible and makes every runner a winner. This attention to detail is reflected every step of the way and it was truly an honor to be among those selected for the 2009 edition. My only disagreement with everyone else (personal bias, of course) is that I had the best timer/lap counter/cheerleader. The St. Olaf's team adopted each one of us and to receive words of encouragement each time around the track is just the motivation you need. Jenna, a personal thanks to you... even if I had one lap to go twice around the track! Any additional time on the course was a bonus and my completion wouldn't have been possible without the smiles and dedication you showed. To all of the other 2009 runners, this will be one of the most memorable experiences for me. Whether being passed or passing, the encouragement was amazing and I found myself rooting for everyone else just as much as myself. Zoom! Yah! Yah! was my 50th state and I definitely saved the best for last. I couldn't have imagined it going any better, and I enjoyed every second of the event. Wonderful job, Dick! | |
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L. S. from Kansas City, Missouri
(1/20/2009)
"Give this one a try!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 A couple of thoughts, having read the previous posts. One, they brought back to mind what I had shamefully almost forgotten - the dedication of the St. Olaf women's track team to the success of the event and the individual runners. It may have been easier to run the marathon than to sit there for the 5-plus hours my poor counter did, all the while maintaining such a cheerful attitude. At least I was able to take a few pit stops. Second, lest anyone get the idea this was a kumbaya moment, breezing along in the joy of brotherhood - this is a marathon. There is no getting around the fact that you will be running 26.2 miles. But, if you're going to do one, it might as well be on a perfect surface, in controlled temps, with whatever your heart desires for food/drink and, as the other posts confirm, about the most uniformly happy bunch of runners I've ever run with. That is no accident; the race director and staff do everything possible to insure that happiness. Finally, when I told people I was going to run the Zoom Yah Yah they, to a person, said I could never run around that many laps , or some version of that, citing boredom, dizziness, etc. as reasons against the concept. What I found is that I have never run a race of any distance where I paid so little attention to miles, but rather thought I'm one-fifth done , I'm one-third done , etc. as the laps went by. And they went by with astonishing speed, in my mind if not on the clock. With 20 laps to go, my mental gymnastics went OK, 20 laps to go. At 5.7 laps per mile, that's 20 divided by 5.7, yielding three, carry the 2.9, divided by 20... or is it divided by 5.7? I think it's... OK, 19 laps to go, divided by, and so on until the finish. I never did figure out the miles, but it was the greatest dissociative tool I've ever seen. In short, don't be put off by the 150 laps; it's different from what you might imagine. It seems that no set of race comments is complete without at least one complaint, so here goes - the website did not have an elevation chart. The fact that that's all I can come up with should give you an idea about the quality of this race. A-plus from start to finish. | |
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D. H. from central Minnesota
(1/19/2009)
"a lot of fun" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was a really fun race. I ran it each of the last two years and I hope to be able to continue to run for the years into the future. For those who think that running around in circles for three or more hours may not be that fun, I have some news for you. It is a blast. This marathon is very different from any of the others that I have run. Not only is it indoors, but the unique thing about this race is that you get see all of the other runners in the race for the entire race. Occasionally they will be passing you or you will be passing them. You get to know and talk with the other runners throughout the race. Another great thing is that you will have you water or food whenever you need them. There are tables set up at all four corners of the course, so you will pass your water stop at least 150 times in the race (up to 600 times if you put stuff at all four corners). The greatest thing about the race is the spectator support. You have your own timer who cheers you on for each lap, as will most of the other timers from the St. Olaf Track team. There were also other spectators who learned everyone's name during the first several laps and cheered us on each time we passed them. I wasn't able to train adequately for the race this year and so I tried to drop out and give my spot to someone else who would have wanted to run an indoor marathon, but I contacted Dick (the race director) too late and he couldn't find a replacement for me, so I ran it anyway. I was quite surprised when I ran a minute faster this year than last. I think the small course, with all of the other runners around me and the great cheering section, really helped me continue running even though I hadn't done any long training runs since August. Another thing I really like about this race is the meal the night before at the St. Olaf dining service. This year it was off in a separate room from the rest of the dining area, and I had a great time talking to runners I recognized from last year's race (and also getting to know new runners in the race). The food was quite good but the company was better. A great race; I hope to be back often. |
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