Keila Merino
Keila Merino was born in a small town in Mexico where cars were a luxury and walking or running for transportation was the norm. At age 9, she moved with her parents and siblings to Arizona, where she often felt lonely and homesick for her extended family, language, and country. Keila found a renewed sense of belonging through a community youth running program, and she competed as a runner throughout middle and high school.
After college at Arizona State University, Keila moved to NYC, intending to work for a couple of years as a Teaching Fellow before attending medical school. To her surprise, she fell in love with teaching – especially working with Spanish-speaking immigrant children who were struggling, as she had, to learn a new language, succeed academically, and adjust to a new culture. Over 20 years later, Keila is still teaching in NYC public schools, currently at PS 75 in Manhattan, where she’s the Rising New York Road Runners program assistant.
Keila is an accomplished ultrarunner who completed the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning in 2014, including making the podium at the Leadville 100. In 2016 she attempted to run across the USA to raise funds for NYRR youth programs. She has completed 57 NYRR races, many as a member of the NYRR Pace Team. Coming off a two-year series of injuries, Keila will pace at the 2023 TCS New York City Marathon. She joined NYRR’s Contributors Circle in July 2023 and shared her story of running, teaching, coaching, and pacing in her first blog post in August.