Kim Merritt's career coincided with the development of women's running in the United States and she was at the forefront of distance running in the mid-1970s.
12 Facts About Kim Merritt
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Kim Merritt won the 1975 New York City Marathon and in 1976 she took the women's titles at both the Boston and Honolulu Marathons.
3.
Kim Merritt's personal best time of 2:37:57, set at the 1977 Nike OTC Marathon, was an American record for the distance and made her the fourth best runner worldwide that year.
4.
Kim Merritt ceased competing around 1980, although she made an unsuccessful attempt at the 1984 Olympic Marathon Trials.
5.
The twenty-year-old Kim Merritt made her major marathon debut in September 1975 at the New York City Marathon and defeated Michiko Gorman to win the race in a time of 2:46:15 hours.
6.
Kim Merritt broke the American record for the distance at the 1977 Nike OTC Marathon in Eugene, Oregon, winning the women's race with a time of 2:37:57.
7.
Kim Merritt returned to the New York Marathon but finished as the runner-up, beaten to the finish by Michiko Gorman.
8.
Kim Merritt was the inaugural winner of the Gate River Run 15K in 1978 and won the second edition of the Ogden Newspapers 20K Classic held that same year.
9.
Kim Merritt's final run of the year came at a race on home turf in New Glarus, Wisconsin, which she won in 2:53:53.
10.
Kim Merritt ran at the Boston Marathon and came in sixth place, although she was ten minutes behind the women's winner Joan Samuelson.
11.
Kim Merritt later married and had children, leading to the end of her running career.
12.
Kim Merritt made a brief return at the USA Olympic Marathon Trials for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, but her run of 2:43:31 was only enough for 53rd place.