OLD LYME – Back in the mid-to-late-70s, Jan Merrill-Morin was one of America’s top female runners. She held American and world records on the track. She was a silver medalist at the World Cross Country championships. She was also a finalist in the 1,500 meters at the Montreal Olympics in 1976.

In the early 90s, Merrill-Morin coached one of the state’s best female distance runners, Liz Mueller , at Waterford High School. She has coached at Rutgers and Coast Guard.

Merrill-Morin, 69, went back to high school coaching a few years ago and now she is guiding another of the state’s top female distance runners, Chase Gilbert of Old Lyme. Merrill-Morin started coaching at Old Lyme before spring track season in 2024 and Gilbert, already a talent, has blossomed.

“I think people now might not

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