Known for her long red hair that was usually tied back in pigtails or a ponytail, the 27-year-old Meyerhoff died instantly in the accident, which occurred at an intersection in her hometown of Maricopa, Arizona.

An investigation is under way.

Meyerhoff, who often wore bright colours and ran in skirts, won the P.F. Chang's Rock'n'Roll Arizona Marathon two months ago in Phoenix with a time of 2 hours 37min 55sec.

An All-American cross-country runner and track athlete while at Duke University, Meyerhoff finished 27th in last year's New York City marathon in 2:41:00 and was also a top class triathlete.

On Sunday March 6 she updated her Run Sal blog to announce she had a new sponsor in men's grooming company Jack Black, adding: "I cannot express how HAPPY I am with where I am in my life right now though, and how grateful I feel for being able to do what I do."

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