| Birth Date: | 18 June 1956 |
| Birth Place: | New London, Connecticut |
| Sport: | Athletics |
| Coach: | Norm Higgins |
| Club: | Connecticut College Age Group Athletes Association |
| Height: | 165 cm |
| Weight: | 52 kg |
| Event: | 800–10,000 m |
| Pb: | 800 m – 2:02.80 (1977) 1500 m – 4:02.61 (1976) Mile – 4:28.3 (1979) 3000 m – 8:42.6 (1978) 5000 m – 15:30.6 (1980) 10,000 m – 32.03. (1981) |
Janice "Jan" Melbourne Merrill (born June 18, 1956) is a retired American runner. She was the dominant long distance runner 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.[1] 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 in Montreal, the 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters.[2] 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,[3] 3000 meters 4 times,[4] twice in the indoor mile,[5] twice in the indoor 2 mile[6] and twice in Cross Country.[7] After retiring from competitions she became a high school and college track coach.
| Year | Tournament | Venue | Result | Extra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing the | ||||
| 1976 | Montreal, Canada | 8th | 1500 m | |
| 1978 | Glasgow, Scotland | 7th | Long Race Individual | |
| 2nd | Long Race Team | |||
| 1979 | Limerick, Ireland | 7th | Long Race Individual | |
| 1st | Long Race Team | |||
| 1980 | Paris, France | 5th | Long Race Individual | |
| 3rd | Long Race Team | |||
| 1981 | Madrid, Spain | 2nd | Long Race Individual | |
| 2nd | Long Race Team | |||
| 1983 | Gateshead, England | 13th | Long Race Individual | |
| 1st | Long Race Team | |||