New York, June 27, 2016 – New York City elementary school teacher and NYRR Ultrarunner of the Year Award winner Keila Merino will attempt to become the fastest female to cross the United States by foot according to the Guinness World Records as she runs across America and raises awareness and funds for New York Road Runners’ flagship free youth running program, Mighty Milers. The record-breaking attempt will begin July 1 in Los Angeles, with a goal of finishing in less than 69 days in New York City, just ahead of the first day of the new school year.

“All these years I have run to meet my own goals,” said Merino. “This project is about pushing the limits and helping others. I work with kids and one thing I have learned is that teaching kids by example is extremely powerful. I hope to inspire our youth to believe that anything is possible.”

Merino, 35, of Manhattan, is an elementary school teacher in the NYC public school system, and a running coach for the NYRR Mighty Milers program. She encourages her students to overcome life’s challenges one step at a time, and to inspire them, she’s chasing a Guinness World Record of 69 days, 2 hours, and 40 minutes set in 1978 by South African Mavis Hutchinson. Merino’s goal is to run across America in less than 69 days. Her run will take her past approximately 60 NYRR Mighty Milers schools through some of NYRR’s largest hubs of Mighty Milers schools in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Kansas. Donations to NYRR Mighty Milers on behalf of Merino’s run can be made at https://www.crowdrise.com/nyrr. Supporters can track her journey here beginning July 1.

“We are very excited to support Keila as she runs across America in support of our NYRR Mighty Milers,” said Michael Capiraso, president and CEO of New York Road Runners. “Our Mighty Milers have an extraordinary role model to look up to in the classroom and on the roads, and we look forward to following Keila’s journey across the country along with them. It’s sure to be an inspiring summer for all.”

An NYRR member for over 10 years, Merino is a familiar face at NYRR races. She has twice been named the New York Road Runners Ultrarunner of the Year (2014, 2015), and has participated in more than 40 NYRR races, including six New York City Marathons and many half-marathons and long-distance events. She won the iconic Central Park ultramarathon, the NYRR NYC 60K in 2015, and has placed in the top 10 three times. Merino will be running the 2016 TCS New York City Marathon on November 6 as a volunteer pacer.

“Keila's commitment to running is extraordinary,” said Peter Ciaccia, president of events for New York Road Runners and the race director of the TCS New York City Marathon. “As our two-time defending Ultrarunner of the Year, she's proven that she's the class of New York when it comes to competing at long distances. Now it's time for America to see how strong a runner she is.”

Merino gained confidence and a sense of identity from running beginning at an early age. When her family immigrated to the United States from Mexico when she was 9, running became a constant during that challenging transition. Both a passionate educator and a fearless competitor, Merino currently ranks among top female finishers at distance races across the country. She won the inaugural Great New York 100-Mile Running Exposition in 2012, and in 2013 she placed third at the legendary Leadville 100. In 2014, Merino completed the Grand Slam of ultrarunning—four notoriously tough 100-milers (the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, Vermont 100 Endurance Run, the Leadville Trail 100 and the Wasatch Front 100 Mile Endurance Run—in the span of three months.

NYRR Mighty Milers is NYRR’s flagship youth running program, and one of the largest free youth running programs in the U.S. This program provides primarily pre-kindergarten through eighth grade students the opportunity to run during the school day and develop a love for physical fitness. Each Mighty Miler strives to run a total of 26.2-miles or more over the course of a school year, in effect running their own marathon of miles. Nationwide, NYRR Mighty Milers reaches more than 188,000 students in approximately 900 schools and community centers who collectively ran more than 5.8 million miles over the 2015-2016 school year. More than 87,000 students in NYC logged more than 2.6 million miles. This last school year, Keila had a class of 26 students run 911 miles, an average of 35 miles per student, with each student surpassing their marathon goal distance for the year.

NYRR Mighty Milers, and a number of NYRR youth and community running programs, events, and resources are supported by NYRR’s Premier Partner, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), title sponsor of the TCS New York City Marathon, and Official Youth and Community Services Partner. Donations to NYRR Mighty Milers on behalf of Merino’s run can be made at https://www.crowdrise.com/nyrr.

About New York Road Runners

Founded in 1958, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization, whose mission is to help and inspire people through running. NYRR’s commitment to New York City’s five boroughs features races, community events, youth running initiatives, school programs, and training resources that provide hundreds of thousands of people each year, from children to seniors, with the motivation, know-how, and opportunity to Run for Life. NYRR’s premier event, and the largest marathon in the world, is the TCS New York City Marathon. Held annually on the first Sunday in November, the race features 50,000 runners, from the world’s top professional athletes to a vast range of competitive, recreational, and charity runners. To learn more, visit www.nyrr.org.

Contacts:
For Keila Merino
Dave Wiskowski: 312-342-1985; david.wiskowski@gmail.com

For New York Road Runners
Laura Paulus: 646.241.3527; lpaulus@nyrr.org
Lauren Doll: 212.423.2271; ldoll@nyrr.org