FINDING HIS WAY: Angelo Kisil Merino, a second-year graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. in economics at Princeton University, stands in victory as he completed a 68-mile run from Princeton to Central Park. (Photo courtesy of Angelo Merino)

By Matthew Hersh

The trip from downtown Princeton to New York City can be a daily grind for most commuters, but for Angelo Kisil Merino, it’s little more than a run in the park.

Well, make that a lot more.

A second-year Princeton University graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. in economics, Merino recently took the challenge of traversing New Jersey’s backroads, secondary roads, and yes, some bridges, to complete a 68-mile “ultramarathon” from FitzRandolph Gate to Central Park. The journey, he said, was more than just your typical commute.

“It’s better than just going to the office,” he quipped. “But I felt I could run any place in any direction, and I wanted to run without a big goal or compromise.”

Merino has run competitively, and even completed the 2023 Toronto Waterfront Marathon when he was a full-time research assistant at the University of Chicago, but his typical regimen consists of longer, non-competitive runs. In Princeton, Merino said he found his natural training ground.

“This is one of the best, safest places I’ve ever run,” the 27-year-old Brazil native said of the Princeton University campus and the surrounding park areas. “Being in the United States, sports take up a lot of my leisure time, so instead of commuting to an office, I think it’s better to go on a long run.”

But mapping out a 68-mile run (nearly 110 kilometers for Merino’s metric point of reference) was easier said than done. For that, Merino consulted with others who took similar, albeit shorter journeys on foot. “When I was figuring out the route, I tried to run from Jersey City to Central Park, but it was clear that the George Washington Bridge was the only place to cross,” Merino said, referring to the Fort Lee to Washington Heights entry point into Manhattan. “Otherwise, I would have to have taken the subway.”

A Race to Academic Achievement

Merino’s focus is his studies, and running is simply an outlet he uses to place focus on other aspects of his life. Merino’s long journey isn’t simply a 68-mile jaunt, but a hemisphere’s journey to Princeton. After completing his undergraduate studies in economics at the University of São Paulo, a scholarship from the Brazilian Foundation helped him relocate to the University of Chicago. Finally, in 2024, Merino moved to Princeton for a six-year doctoral program in development economics at the University.

At Princeton, Merino’s focus is political economy, which illustrates how political institutions and processes shape economic development, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. He has collaborated with Maria Micaela Sviatschi, associate professor of economics and public affairs at Princeton, and hopes to focus on Latin America and organized crime. “The kids where I’m from don’t always have a good opportunity to succeed. Sometimes they join a gang. I’d like to change that,” he said.

Merino’s academic pursuits are long-term goals, and running, he said, helps him overcome challenges along the way.

“This training cycle and the challenges I created are a smaller-scale version of real life and the challenges I care about,” said Merino. “This gives it purpose and this really is my approach to everything I do in life and it gives me a chance to learn from this experience.”

Ultramarathoner

An ultramarathon is simply any run longer than 26.2 miles, but most important to Merino, it does not have any of the industry trappings of long, competitive runs.

“People get obsessed with the gear, the watches, the things they carry. That’s not really my thing,” he said, adding that this approach allowed him also to free himself from the constraints of embarking on such a substantial course. Initially, Merino estimated a 12-hour run, “but I ended up doing it in 13.

“I took more time at the stops. I slowed down. I didn’t stress about the time because it wasn’t the point. Running is a hobby and I do it to feel good!” he said.

For such a distance, however, Merino did rely on a strong support network. “I had someone running with me for the first 14 miles, and then again in the third and fourth legs of the run. It’s a long day, but when I got to mile 20, I could feel my quads get sore and my team helped me stay distracted. When I felt light-headed in the fourth leg, it was good to have someone with me to make sure I was OK,” he said.

In addition to months of training with longer and longer runs, the key to Merino’s success was patience, he said, signaling a recurring theme in his approach to his studies, to running, and to life. As a non-competitive, but serious, runner, Merino was running 30 miles a week, but knew he wanted to take on something more ambitious.

“I knew I wanted to do a challenge like this and then you just have to be motivated and take time to plan for it. You don’t need to try to beat the same benchmarks and goals that everyone else has. You can find your own and have fun with it.”