Triathlete brings passion for the sport back to YWCA Women’s Tri
Kym Zest is returning to the YWCA Women’s Triathlon as Race Director! In her five-year break from the race she pursued other athletic achievements, started her own coaching business, and had a baby. Now, she’s back to serve the triathlon community, as it has been her home base since 1997. (You can read many of her triathlon race stories on her blog (midwestwithzest). From her first year with YWCA Minneapolis in 2010, Kym has felt how special our Women’s Tri has been. After some challenging pandemic-related years with the Women’s Tri, Kym is excited to revitalize the race and lead the Twin Cities and national triathlon community to empower women and eliminate racism.
Coaching is in Kym Zest’s blood. Her father, Ben Zhao, was the long-time head coach for cross-country and track and field at Southwest High School. At nine years old, Kym started swimming competitively; from the beginning, she was curious about what made a good athlete. As a young child, she spent weeks analyzing her performance and planning for the next competition. For decades, Kym has brought that level of focus and intensity into her athletic pursuits and guiding athletes in theirs. Kym established her coaching career by founding Bumble Beez Athletics, a value-based athletic program for youth 9-13 years old, in 2002; she ran that business until 2008. In the summer of 2010, Kym joined YWCA Minneapolis as a personal trainer. Since then, she has been a coach for our former Otters Swim Team, an endurance sports coach, a yoga teacher, and an assistant race director and training coordinator for the Women’s Tri (2014-2017). Now, she returns as the full-time race director for the latter. We welcome Kym back to the organization!
Q&A with Kym Zest
Which identities would you like to share?
I identify as a mixed-race heterosexual, cisgender woman using she/her pronouns. My dad immigrated from Hong Kong in the 1970s, and my mother’s side immigrated from Denmark in the 1880s. I grew up right here in Minneapolis and live near George Floyd Square. I strongly identify with being Minnesotan. I also identify as an overachieving goofball.
Your household expanded in 2021. How is that transition going?
Excellent now. My one and only child, Sprout (he/him), will be two at the end of the year. Our cat Pigeon has yet to be won over. The first six months postpartum was BRUTAL for so many reasons. With a lot of community and family support and medical and psychological help, I'm doing great. Parenting Sprout is a delight even when it's not.
What is your favorite triathlon?
You mean other than the Women’s Tri? HOLT (Heart of the Lakes Triathlon) is the race I have done every year since 1997 with my dad. I did it as a teen, and I did it pregnant in 2021. It did not survive post-pandemic, and I was heartbroken, which makes me feel that much stronger about keeping the Women’s Tri alive and well for generations.
What is your favorite race food?
Cliff blocks with extra salt and Cliff mocha shots for short races. Homemade mashed potato and cheese bars for longer races…and straight maple syrup.
What about when you're not moving?
Ramen. Or Pho. Noodles, all the long noodles in broth.
What’s with the dinosaurs?
OMG the dinosaurs [chuckling]. The long story is on my blog, but the short story is that in 2013, I was helping revise the emergency plans for the Women's Tri. I had a dream that it was race day, and over the radio, I heard, “There is a dinosaur on the race course!” It was not racers passing under a benign brontosaurus like a finish-line balloon arch. It was a full-on Jurassic Park T-Rex chasing triathletes. I ran to the operations tent, madly flipping through our Crisis Plan while I screamed into the radio, “We don’t have a plan for that! WE DON’T HAVE A DINOSAUR PLAN!!!” I told that story to triathlon clients to illustrate that as much as we plan and prepare, and there will be unpredictable challenges on race day. They took the dinosaur story and ran with it. Now, it has a life of its own well beyond my initial dream.
What do you do for fun?
Do you mean if I’m not swimming, biking, or running? As a new homeowner, I’m obsessed with gardening and landscaping. I recently picked up crochet as a way to stop myself from buying too many stuffed toys for my kiddo. But now I buy too much yarn. I’ve loved cooking for decades now. I appreciate a well-crafted drink of beer, spirits, or cocktails. Of course, I also enjoy just hanging out with the people I love.