Kyle Merber

In 6th grade, Merber began sprint training with Charlie Bell, a local high school coach from New Jersey.[3] He would practice sprinting with a bungee cord tied to him for strength development.[3] Merber attended Half Hollow Hills West High School, where he competed in cross country and track.[3] During high school he was successful in a wide range of events, posting personal bests of 1:53 in the 800 meters and 9:06 in the 3200 meters.[3]

Merber first attended Columbia University, where he specialized in the mile and 1500. At Columbia, Merber set the Ivy League indoor mile record when he finished in 3:58.52 at the 2010 Columbia Last Chance meet at the Armory.[4] That summer, however, Merber stepped on a piece of glass during a training run near his home on Long Island, which put him out of competition for a year.[5] However, Merber had a resurgent senior year, and in May 2012, at the Swarthmore Last Chance Meet, he outkicked Nate Brannen to set an American collegiate 1500 meter record in 3:35.59.[5] He graduated from Columbia in 2012.[6]

The following school year, Merber enrolled in a masters program at the University of Texas at Austin, where he used his remaining year of NCAA eligibility resulting from his missed junior season at Columbia.[7]

After graduating from UT in 2013, Merber joined the New Jersey*New York Track Club under coach Frank Gagliano. He is also sponsored by HOKA ONE ONE.[8] He was a member of the United States' distance medley relay team which set the world record of 9:15.50 at the 2015 IAAF World Relays in Nassau.[9]

Merber has been a resident of Clinton, New Jersey.[10]

Merber announced his retirement on instagram on January 4, 2021.[11]