Janice "Jan" Melbourne Merrill (born June 18, 1956) is a retired American runner. She was the dominant

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance ru ...

of the middle 1970s, a notable front runner, her uniform with the large "M" on her chest would usually break away to an insurmountable lead in domestic meets. She was equally untouchable in self-promotion or dealing with the media, often deferring to her coach, Norm Higgins. At various points in time she held the American record in the 1500 meters (4:02.61 set on July 29, 1976) during the

1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Montreal 1976 (), were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, the 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters. She lost other record opportunities because the only times she could get a decent race in the United States was against men. She won the U.S. title at 1500 meters twice outdoors, 3000 meters 4 times, twice in the indoor mile, twice in the indoor 2 mile and twice in Cross Country.USA Track & Field – Women
Usatf.org. Retrieved on 2017-09-18. After retiring from competitions she became a high school and college track coach.

Achievements

References

1956 births Living people Sportspeople from New London, Connecticut Track and field athletes from Connecticut American female middle-distance runners American female long-distance runners American female cross country runners Athletes (track and field) at the 1975 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1979 Pan American Games Olympic track and field athletes for the United States Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field) Medalists at the 1975 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1979 Pan American Games 20th-century American sportswomen {{US-middledistance-athletics-bio-stub