MONTGOMERY, Vt. — When Elle Purrier St. Pierre was collecting state championships as a high school runner in the upper reaches of rural Vermont, she would join her teammates on jogs with an international flair. They would approach the Quebec border and stick their hands under the fence so they could say they had touched Canada, a modest taste of adventure for a group of small-town athletes.
Purrier St. Pierre, 26, has since emerged onto the global stage, smashing the national record for the indoor mile while setting her sights on competing in the 1,500 meters at this summer’s Tokyo Olympics.