Celebrates Debbie Zockoll

A Life of Gratitude:

St. George Celebrates DEBBIE ZOCKOLL

She had a smile that could vanquish the surliest of clouds, enthusiasm that was contagious, positivity that seemingly knew no bounds despite being severely tested, and physical achievements that defied description.

Debbie Zockoll was an icon, plain and simple. And those of us fortunate enough to have called her a friend were devastated in March when she passed away. That she won’t be at the starting line of this year’s 45th annual St. George Marathon…well, it’s just wrong. Debbie hoped it would have been her 300th race of the grueling 26.2-mile distance.

Shortly before her passing, I had the honor of sitting down with Debbie to talk about her life, her plans for the upcoming race, and how her illness had changed both. True to form, her smile never wavered; never once did she express anything but optimism for the future.

When the gun goes off on October 2, the community—runners and couch-potatoes alike—will be celebrating her life. There could be no more fitting acknowledgement. *******

St. George Health & Wellness: So, let’s start at the beginning. Are you a St. George native?

Debbie Zockoll: Yes, I’m a proud St. George native and a proud Dixie High School grad. Of course, there was only one high school back then. I’ve always loved this community.

SGHW: Were you always an athlete?

DZ: I figured out early on that I needed to move. If I didn’t move, people didn’t like me as much, so I moved. I grew up in an era where women always wore dresses, even to high school games; no pants were allowed. So growing up in that era, I sort of had to work my way into moving. It was a big deal. My first running companions were always men because women didn’t run. I remember when I ran pregnant with my first son. People would stop and say, “You need a ride. Get in.” I’d tell them, “I’m fine; I’m fine.”

SGHW: When did you decide that you liked distance running?

DZ: I don’t think it was ever a conscious decision. When the first St. George Marathon took place, I was working for the City at the pool. Sherm Miller from Leisure Services was the race director. He told all city employees that he was putting on a marathon, and he needed all of us to sign up. I was a rule-follower; I’m a first-born, and I’m a school-teacher, so I said, “OK, I’ll do it.”

Another girlfriend who worked for the City and I trained, sort of. We went to Picketts Hardware on the Boulevard and bought some big, tall socks and some men’s basketball shorts; there were no women’s running clothes back then. We went to Sears and ordered Kangaroo shoes. That’s what we ran the first St. George Marathon in, and that was the day I got hooked on distance running.

SGHW: What was your training program like, and was it effective?

DZ: It was never efficient, and probably not effective. We did one twenty-mile charity walk on a Saturday. I woke up on Sunday with my legs stiff as boards and thought, “Yeah, I don’t think I have six more miles in me.” I didn’t dare tell my friend— didn’t dare tell anyone— that I might not be able to do this.

We showed up at the starting line; there were forty-eight of us and only four women. I thought, “I could be last.” But I came in second in the women’s. There weren’t that many of us, so you can always kind of “rise up” to a challenge.

SGHW: How did you feel during that first marathon?

DZ: Oh, I felt terrible! I remember lying down at the park afterward thinking I was going to die, and that I’d never do it again. Someone came by and said, “I have a flyer for a marathon in Las Vegas.” I said, “When is it?” I knew then that I was hooked.

SGHW: Which brings us to an interesting point: You’re now at marathon number…?

DZ: I have finished 298. I’ve got my fingers crossed for two more (at least). This year will be my 45th St. George Marathon. I hope to do a marathon between now and then, so St. George will be my 300th. My plan is to run the entire marathon distance and have my whole family help me out. SGHW: Let’s talk about your career in education. When did that begin?

DZ: I started teaching when I was twenty-two. That was sort of who I was. It was during my last couple of years in college that I ran the first St. George Marathon. I was a wife, and a runner, and then an educator, and then motherhood came down the road. I taught first grade for thirty-one years. I loved first-graders; I think I’m six at heart.

SGHW: When did you retire?

DZ: My retirement was pretty short-lived. I was in such a sweat thinking, “What am I going to do? I can’t retire; I am going to go crazy?” Then I ran into the owner of Movara, who asked, “Can you come to work on Monday?” So my retirement was two days.

When I started working there, I did everything from serving food to cleaning. When we got so big, we could all sort of choose our own areas. I chose to lead hikes, which has been very good for me. Being with their guests is the best part. They’re people from everywhere, so they’re so thankful for the beauty of our area. I’m so proud of the beauty that we have here, and I love to show it off, as if I created it, which obviously I didn’t. But I love to say, “This is my place; this is my canyon; this is my hill.”

SGHW: One of the things that you and I unfortunately share, in addition to being involved in the athletic community, is that we’ve both dealt with breast cancer. You’re facing another challenge in your life now. Can you talk about that a bit?

DZ: My breast cancer was in 2005. You know, like I do, that with every ache and pain, you think, “Oh no; it’s back.” But by the time that 2016 rolled around, I figured I was invincible again.

I was running the Boston Marathon, and I had this terrible pain in my stomach. I thought, “What in heck could that be?” I ran with my sister. She said, ‘Let’s just stop; you don’t need to do this.” We were at mile eighteen, and I was vomiting; I was really sick. She said, “This is silly, let’s stop.” I said “This might be my last chance to do Boston. I’m with my sister. We’re going to finish this.” We finished the race. I was flying out the next day, and I promised her I’d see the doctor when I got home. I did…I had a ruptured appendix.

They took that out, but they found a tumor in my appendix, which sent us into a tailspin. There was more surgery to make sure they’d gotten everything: they took out lymph-nodes and a foot and a half of my colon to make sure everything was clean. I have basically been on chemo since 2016…and the last couple of treatments have kind of worn me down.

SGHW: What’s helped you muscle through all of this and keep putting one foot in front of the other?

DZ: I think there are a lot of things. Sometimes you have a gift: you just do what you’ve gotta do like “I have to wake up, and I have to do this.” The other thing is that I have a wonderful family who always supports me. I have friends who are always willing to do this or that. The combination of marathoning and cancer has really helped me because I know there’s a finish line. No matter how hard I’m working or what I’m doing, there’s always a finish line. I’ll get there. Some days I think, “No, I’m just too tired, and this is a day when I have to stay in bed, but I’ll be okay tomorrow.”

SGHW: What would be your dream for this year’s 45th anniversary of the St. George Marathon?

DZ: Here’s what I do when I lie in bed at night, particularly if I start feeling depressed: I close my eyes, and I see the finish line. I think, “That’s my dream; let me see that finish line one more time.” I’m going to try to be there.

SGHW: How has the athletic community supported you over the years?

DZ: A lot of the people I ran the first St. George Marathon with are no longer alive, but they were great examples for me. They taught me many, many things. Two of the people I run with now are ladies who were first-graders of mine. My world has come full circle. They’ll be running with me in October.

SGHW: What about the Huntsman World Senior Games? You’ve been involved with them as a race director for a long time now.

DZ: Yes, right from the get-go. I oversee the 10K, 5K, and halfmarathon. I’ve met wonderful people through the Games from all over the world who’ve really taught me a lot of wonderful lessons.

SGHW: You’ve made it through a lot of events that would take most people down. What would your message be to anyone who’s experiencing severe challenges?

DZ: My message would be stay positive, stay hopeful, and have a lot of gratitude. Many, many people care about you even when you don’t think they do. My running community, my family, St. George—all have all been so wonderful to me that I could never let them down. I just have a heart full of gratitude for what I have in my life. I think that’s the way you get through hard things. *******

The City of St. George is selling “Debbie Zockoll racer tanks” to raise funds for a scholarship to be awarded to a future runner. To order, visit http://haku.ly/dd040a97.

About the Author

Marianne L. Hamilton is a veteran journalist and marketing writer whose work appears in regional and national publications. When not race walking, hiking, or teaching water aerobics, she is Board Chair of Art Around the Corner and the Special Events Manager for DOCUTAH. She and her husband, Doug, are also coadministrators of the St. George Wine Club and race directors for the Huntsman World Senior Games and National Senior Games. Marianne was crowned Ms. Senior Italy Universe 2019–2020 and the Senior Pageants Group’s 2020–2021 Senior Games Ambassador. She is a proud breast cancer survivor.

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