Tae Kwan Do Introduced Woman to Running

According to the official Boston Marathon website, 22 people from Westborough have registered to run in the 2011 Boston Marathon. For the days leading up to the marathon, we will feature our Westborough marathoners and encourage you to cheer each of them to the finish line!

Name: Julie Merritt 

Age: 42 

Marathon Experience: This will be Julie’s fifth marathon and her first Boston Marathon. She has participated in the Chicago Marathon, the Amica Marathon and the New York City Marathon.

She said she started running in 2005. “I never did any sports,” she said. “I started to run because I was taking tae kwan do and needed to run three miles to move from my blue to my black belt.” Once she started running, she was hooked.

Today, Julie meets up with friends from college to run 5K races. “It’s our way of seeing each other,” she said. 

Reason for Running: Julie said she has always wanted to run the Boston Marathon. “I came to Boston in 1986 and went to BU, so I’ve always lived along the route.” 

Training Tips: “I think for the first one, find a big one. It is a party atmosphere,” she said. “On the first one, aim to finish it and enjoy it.” Julie said she is not competitive by nature, and she enjoys running for the pleasure of the sport.