Q&A With Stillwater Marathon Winner Peter Hoyem

Peter Hoyem won the Stillwater Marathon for the second time in three years.

Hoyem works at teaching AP statistics, as well as advanced algebra and geometry. He is also the head coach of the track and cross-country teams at Oak-Land Junior High and he is an assistant coach for the high school Nordic ski team.

 After winning the Stillwater Marathon, Stillwater Patch asked Hoyem a few questions about running marathons.

Stillwater Patch: What's it like to win two of the first three Stillwater Marathons, given it's your hometown and all?

Pete Hoyem: It's pretty fun! During the race I had a lot of people cheering me on and giving me updates as to how much of a lead I had. I also got a really warm reception from the school I teach at and my friends around town. Also, just wanted to clarify: I grew up in Chicago, but have lived in Stillwater the last seven years and love it!

Stillwater Patch: What advantages do you have running a course in your backyard?

Hoyem: I know the course very well; every little hill and turn. Stillwater isn't a killer course, but it's not easy—and knowing all the hills and how to run it can help a lot. Also, I make a point to do at least a few long training runs on the course route.

Stillwater Patch: How do you train? Give us a rundown of an average day.

Hoyem: This winter/spring I would get between 55 and 75 miles in per week. Every 10 days, I would try to get four different quality workouts in:

a. Long run (15-25 miles);

b. Hill repeats (6-10 times anywhere from 200-600 meter hills)

c. VO2 Max training (Yasso 800s, mile repeats at 5k-race pace, etc.)

d. Threshold training (mile repeats at 10k-race pace, 5-8 mile continuous run with heart-rate between 160-170, etc)

The rest of the days would be recovery—either off or run 3-9 miles at a conversational pace.

Stillwater Patch: How many marathons have you completed? What are some of the most memorable? When did your love of running start?

Hoyem: This was my 14th marathon. My first win at Stillwater probably was my most memorable. I had no idea what to expect, and I really surprised myself to win it, especially given the fact that I was in 8th place at the half-way mark. I did the Boston Marathon in 2004 and that was a super fun and memorable experience. My parents live in Chicago, I've done the Chicago Marathon five times and I really enjoy that as well. My personal record of 2:45 comes from Chicago; it's a super flat course with lots of fast runners and great fan support. I got into running in junior high to try to lose weight, and suddenly I found myself hooked and part of the track and cross-country teams at my high school.

Stillwater Patch: What are your favorite and least favorite parts of the Stillwater course?

Hoyem: Favorite parts are in town near and , and of course downtown near the finish. Also, every year my friends have a big cheering section at their house near mile 14, which always gives me a nice boost. As for least favorite parts, the 2-3 mile stretch on Stagecoach can get pretty boring, but at least it's flat and fast up there.

Stillwater Patch: What does the community support mean to runners?

Hoyem: Even growing up in Chicago, I heard about Stillwater's High School running program. It's a community that really values running and has had a great running tradition for the last 30 years. For me, it's exciting to see a community that has a high emphasis on it compared to many towns that only value the more traditional sports.

Stillwater Patch: Are you going to the Boston Marathon? Why or why not?

Hoyem: I'd like to do it again sometime, but not sure when I'll do it next.  It's tough to train through a hard Minnesota winter (for Boston, most of my hard workouts would be January, February and March). Also, as a teacher, it's difficult to get the days off for it, since Boston falls on a Monday. Nonetheless, when I did it in 2004 I had a great experience and would like to do Boston again soon.