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May 3, 2024

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 21 to 31]

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R. T. from Midwestern U.S. (2/11/2015) "Come for the difference... leave with the memories" (about: 2015) 50+ previous marathons \| 6+ Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 In an era of proliferating marathons, the focus has shifted to singular assets (bigger field! more bands! larger medal!) rather than an overall quality experience. The Zoom!Yah!Yah! Marathon isnt memorable because of a ripped-from-the-headlines aspect that will make it the darling of the cable news cycle. Instead, it becomes the race you wont forget because it isnt this way. The ZYY is everything it promises to be in the Race Directors claim. Its flat, the weather conditions are ideal, there are 600 aid stations (guaranteed to provide something of your liking, since you supply it). Between the lap counters and the 40-plus other runners who you will see for your entire race, the course support is unrivaled. Be sure to get to Northfield the night before so you can partake in what is undoubtedly the best pre-race meal on the marathon circuit. Store your bags along the course for easy access, bring along your family to cheer you on, even the bathrooms and the post-race showers are simple affairs.
D. H. from Minnesota (1/21/2015) "My favorite race" (about: 2015) 50+ previous marathons \| 6+ Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my favorite marathon. I have finished it 6 times (6 * 150 = 900 laps) and one time I had the flu and had to drop out after 102 laps, so I have run over 1000 laps in this marathon around 282 meter track in Tostrud Center at St Olaf. I am glad that I have run every one of those 1000 laps. It is a really fun marathon. The experience begins the night before when we meet together for dinner at the expo in the student center at St Olaf. The food is great, the best dinner the night before any of my other marathons. At the meeting/dinner the night before we meet most of the other runners in the race and the officials and other people who put on the race. This is a great way to get to know the people you will be seeing repeated during the race the next morning. On Sunday morning we meet our timer, a member of the St Olaf womans Track or Cross Country team who will record our splits for every lap of the race and we can put our drinks and goodies for the race at one or more of the four tables around the course. So you could have as many as 600 water stops along the way. One of the great things about the race is that we see everybody else in the race along the way. In most marathons I only see about the five or ten people around. Here I see the guy way ahead of me many times as he passes by and I also see the people way behind me as I pass them. We met these people and got to know them the night before at the dinner and so these are all people we know and we can carry on a running conversation with them as one passes the other. The course is not a PR course, there are 600 right corners on the route and every half hour we have a 180 degree turn as we change direction. Also with the frequent passing other runners I find that I spend most of the time running on the boundary of lanes two and three and so this will add about an extra 1500 meters to the distance. It is a great race and Dick Daymont is a great race director. He really makes everyone feel as an old friend and very welcome at the race. It is a great race, definitely my favorite.
S. O. from Minnesota (MN) (1/18/2015) "Great indoor race" (about: 2015) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 If you are looking to run a marathon in MN in the winter- this is the way to do it! Though there are really no spectators, the lap counters are also great spectators and cheer you on. Very well organized. Great weather, Great pasta dinner, no hills, and great parking! What more can you want?
A. H. from Austin, TX (1/17/2015) "Certainly somethign to do once" (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 As you might expect, you're running around a 282 meter track for several hours. Variety is not something that should be expected with this marathon...and that's exactly what you get. It takes a special kind of focus to grind through the 150 laps, but fortunately, you're not alone out there. Your personal lap counter (provided by the St. Olaf Women's Track team) will energetically cheer you on and keep track of the 150 laps you've completed. Spectatorseven those who aren't related to you in any way shape or formwill cheer you on. But mostly, it's you and the other 40-odd runners. Y'all get to know each other very well over the course of the day, with encouragement and motivation from each of them. They're the ones who make the race awesome. Logistically, the race is all that and a bag of chips. You can have as many water stops as you require with the multiple tables available per lap. Also, the finisher shirts are fantastic. Top-notch. Would I do this marathon again? Probably not. It's a pretty brutal race for the mind (even worse when it turns out you have the flu). Still, I'm really happy to have done it once.
F. L. from New Jersey (1/16/2015) "Turn Turn Turn 150 = Fun Fun Fun" (about: 2015) 50+* previous marathons \| 4-5 Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Northfield, Minnesota can be downright frigid in January, but race day temps at this indoor marathon at St. Olaf's College is between 58 and 65 degrees. The RD, Dick Daymont goes out of his way to insure all runners experience an atmosphere of fun and comaraderie at the pre-race events and on race day. Saturday's packet pickup and pre-race meal are held in the Buntrock Commons building at St. Olaf's College. Rob aka 'the hat guy', one of the veteran runners, cheerfully helps Dick with handing out front and back bibs and meal tickets. The back bibs are plain white bibs which each runner can personalize with their name and some creative artwork - on race day this allows passing runners to shout out support for those they are passing. Most of the 44 runners come to the pre-race dinner so this gives everyone the opportunity to mingle, meet old friends and make new ones. The St. Olaf's Student Cafeteria provides one of the most outstanding pre-race meals on this planet! Prefer Asian, Middle Eastern, Seafood, Burgers, Fries, Pizza, or just plain old pasta and salad? No problem. Did you say you want a dessert, or two or three? No Problem! After the meal, Dick Daymont provides an introduction/history of the event, shares stories of some of the runners participating in the event, explains how the 'reverse direction every 30 minutes' works, provides a run down on the timing for the next morning's event, and conducts a fun raffle. On race morning we meet at 5:45am at the Tostrud Center at St. Olaf's College. The first order of business is that each runner gets paired with a lap counter. Most of the lap counters are young woman who are on the St. Olaf's Track Team. Runners are quick to bond with their counter, who doubles as a super cheerleader throughout the 150 laps. The counters actually log your time each and every one of those 150 laps! They will shout out encouragement to all runners and all the counters, regardless of who they are counting for, will chant your name as you take you final lap and run to the finish. Tables are set up in each of the four 'corners' of the track for runners to stock their own hydration and nutrition needs. Rest rooms are within 100 yards of the running track. There is enough space around the track for spectators to stand/sit and cheer. And, very importantly a doctor is present throughout the entire event. Music is played throughout the entire race using many songs that had previously been submitted by runners with the addition of some silly and appropriate tunes like 'Dizzy', 'Turn, Turn, Turn'. Signs for each runner and for general encouragement are taped along the far wall. Every 30 minutes an orange traffic cone is placed at the Start/Finish/Turn spot and runners turn around it (it is very orderly) to reserve direction. This is such a great race put on by a running club 'The Band of 10,000 Aches' for the love of running. They make you feel welcome and part of their community. I love this event and will continue to submit my name in the lottery as long as I'm running marathons!
A. S. from Rochester, MN (1/15/2015) "Great venue for a winter marathon in freezing MN!" (about: 2015) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Dick Daymont and the women's cross country team go out of their way to make every runner feel like a super star. The pre-race meal is fantastic, and it also lets the runners get to know each other before the race and adds to the feeling of camaraderie. With a field of about 40 runners being together for 150 laps, there is a sense of community that is built into this race. Living in MN, this is a great way to get in a winter marathon without having to pay for a plane ticket somewhere. It is kinda crazy to do 150 laps around an indoor track, but it's a unique experience and builds mental strength. With 5-and-change laps to a mile, I found it too hard to calculate my distance as I went. So it was probably the 18-20 mile point when I began to wonder if I would ever finish. But the constant cheering from the women's cross country team kept me going. They cheered my name every single time I came around to the point where I completed a lap. It was so encouraging. On the last lap, they chant your name! You feel like a rockstar! They also made personalized signs for each runner and hung them around the track. Each runner has his or her own lap counter, and my lap counter, Jamie, was so sweet. She had something positive and encouraging to say with every lap, and she counted down the last 10 laps for me which helped me keep pushing to the end. She offered to help me carry my stuff out to my car afterward, too. The medals were beautiful (one of my favorites) and the t-shirts were nice, too (although waaay too big since they were men's sized). This is a well organized, fun race that I will definitely do again!
F. K. from Arlington, VA (1/15/2015) "Great race!" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I know what you are thinking an indoor marathon? Really? I thought it was a little bit crazy too, but, as a St. Olaf grad, I really loved the idea of running a marathon at my school&plus, how many people can say that they ran a marathon in Minnesota in January? Simply put, the race exceeded all of my expectations and turned out to be a unique and wonderful experience (and a fantastic way to get through the January runner slump). Plus, it was just stinking fun! The laid back feel of the event draws a varied group of people who share a real love for running. In a normal marathon, you would never know who you are running with, because you probably only see them once (maybe twice) over the course of 26.2 miles. At Zoom! Yah! Yah!, the whole field of runners shares a track for 3+ hours and you see, and support, each other constantly. I have never felt more supported (mentally) during a run from other competitors, from spectators, and from the college students who voluntarily wake up at 5:30 am on a Sunday to count your laps. So much love! Some things to keep in mind: -You are technically running further than 26.2 miles (the course itself is a tad longer - plus you cant always run in the center lane). -There are not a ton of spectators but, as noted above, there is no way you will not feel supported. -Runners provide their own nutrition (including drink), but there is a drinking fountain practically on the course. -There isnt a traditional expo, but more of a pre-race dinner and meeting the night before. Im only mentioning this because, if you are like me and often wait until the expo to purchase last-minute supplies for the race, you will be out of luck. Final thought: This is a low-key, laid back, support-your-fellow-runners event its for fun. If you are a die hard, out for blood, have-to-get-a-PR- and-will-throw-an-elbow-to-make-it- happen type of runner (you know who you are), you wont enjoy this race. Im not saying there arent fast runners or real competitors (the 2015 winner ran a blazing 2:48!), Im just saying that you have to be willing to support everyone else on the track too. A sensational race and experience do it!
K. T. from Minnesota (1/12/2015) "Fun and different challenge!" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was a really fun and new challenge! RD Dick Daymont gives very personal service and attention to each runner and their families. The dinner and prerace talk were informative and fun, but communication on times for each will help for next time. The course is a rectangular shaped track so it was great to change direction every 30 minutes. There are constant cheers as you complete each lap, motivational signs around the track and your own personal lap counter. Having access to my own drinks and food every lap with a table in each of the 4 corners was great. The one downer was the bathroom was quite a ways off the track. Great shirts and medal. In spite of personally having a bad race I still had lots of fun!!! Super race, especially for January here in Minnesota! I will recommend this race and likely do it again in the future!
J. K. from Wilton, CT (2/2/2014) "Better finish than NYC" (about: 2014) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I had a few issues with communication. Usually, I find all of the race information on-line, but I think most of the information about this race is communicated via e-mail. I did not receive information about the specific track facility or the pre-race dinner. That said, I had a great time at this race. Bathrooms (not porta-potties) are never more than 200m away. Your food and drinks are never move than 200m away. If you forget your food and drink, there are water fountains and bagels available. All the positive comments about the flat course and constant windless conditions are true. The camaraderie of running with the same people for the 4+ hours that it took me to run the race is amazing. You cheer for each finisher and sympathize with every pulled muscle. You can have your dedicated lap counter communicate every lap you run, or just forget and keep your pace for as long as you want. Without mile markers to distract me, I just ran until the last 10. The women's track team who count laps are an amazing cheer section, as well as all of the other spectators who come to watch. About halfway through your last lap, the lap counters start to chant your name. The chanting grows louder the closer you get to the finish (and as you get closer to the cheer section). I had to finish with a sprint because I was SOOOOOO excited! There were screams and congratulatory hugs and it was AMAZING! A better finish than the New York City marathon for sure!
G. F. from Minneapolis, Minnesota (1/22/2014) "Zoom Yah Yah is a bucket list race" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 If you are one of those runners who can put your body on auto pilot while your mind wanders, this race is perfect. No wind, rain or sun, just find a pace that feels comfortable, lock it in and run. It has a small town feel to it, and everyone is very friendly. Having your own lap counter makes things simple, and the change of direction negates any problems with turns. I'm happy Minnesota has a January marathon indoors.

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