Copyright Stillwater Area High School MMX

Katelyn Sonnee
Distribution Editor

Once again the Stillwater Marathon is taking place and the buzz of excitement
is starting. The marathon is a 26.2 mile race that attracts a lot of people and
watchers.

Math teacher Peter Hoyem has ran the marathon before and has found it
to be mentally and physically challenging. Hoyem paced himself well
enough last year to win last year’s marathon and couldn’t be more proud.

"The marathon involves a lot of mental patience.  At the beginning of the race, you have to really put yourself out at a pace that is aggressive enough, but controlled enough to run well through those last few miles," said Hoyem. "Last year, when I won it, I was over five minutes behind the leaders at the half way point, but nonetheless I had the metal."

Runners may also run for charities and non-profit beneficiaries to help raise money for them. Runners may run for small organizations such as Lake Elmo Baseball, Hearts of Home, Croixdale and many other organizations. Two very large organizations that are involved are American Cancer Society and Team In Training which runs for Leukemia and Lymphoma diseases.

When signing up to participate in the marathon runners have to complete a free training course with a group of other participants. Training for this 26.2 mile race is important. When registering they even supply the runner with tips on how to train well enough to make it though the long race.

"This year, I'm training for the Stillwater Marathon again. I've been working on getting between 55-75 miles in per week. I've really been focusing on getting high quality long runs in," said Hoyem. "So far I have completed four different 20+ mile runs, many of which have included large amounts of my run, faster than marathon race pace."

Aside for the marathon there are also many local everyday things for onlookers to do. There is shopping, historical sights, dinning and lodging. Many people go down to watch the race but also enjoy scavenging through unique vintage shops and dinning at fun restaurants. There are parks to bring children to such as Teddy Bear Park or the Pioneer Park. There are accommodations in the downtown area to make for a fun day for all ages.