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For nearly two years, Aries Merritt ran with a secret.
A rare genetic disorder ravaged Merritt’s kidneys, leaving the reigning Olympic 110-meter hurdles champion in desperate need of a transplant.
As he continued to race, others started to wonder: Why was the fastest man ever to compete in that event slipping off his pace, from global dominance in 2012 to a third-place finish at the U.S. outdoor championships a year later?
“No one had any idea,” Merritt explained. “There was all kinds of speculation beforehand like, ‘What’s going on with him?’
“I didn’t really tell anyone. I was just trying to deal with it in my own way.”
The 30-year-old had a kidney transplant Sept. 1, four days after a bronze-medal effort at the world championships in Beijing, and has spent the past seven months recuperating.
He’ll continue his remarkable return to the sport at the 107th Drake Relays on Saturday in Des Moines. It will be Merritt’s first outdoor track and field meet since his surgery.
“Of course, there’s always a great appreciation,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to going there and competing. I love coming to the Drake Relays and running in front of that amazing crowd.”
Organ donation advocates hope Merritt’s appearance will bring awareness and serve as an inspiration.
Tony Hakes of the Iowa Donor Network says that, typically, 600 people statewide are on a waiting list for organs. According to IowaDonorNetwork.org, 549 potential recipients were waiting for a kidney April 1.
Merritt received a kidney from his sister, LaToya, and prayers from thousands of well-wishers.
“My family, they were really helpful with the recovery process,” said Merritt, who grew up in Atlanta and lives in the Phoenix area. “A lot of friends were supportive.
“Even my fans, a lot of them were supportive. Especially when I released information about everything.”
Four years ago, Merritt gained international stardom and secured a place in history. He won an Olympic gold medal at the London Games and set a world record of 12.80 seconds a few weeks later.
The next year, though, something didn’t seem right.
Merritt should have been at his physical peak, but his energy sagged as the 2013 outdoor season wore on. After the world championships in Moscow, he received a dire diagnosis.
Merritt's kidneys were faltering, and it was only a matter of time before he would need a transplant.
The symptoms of severe kidney disease can range from fatigue to shortness of breath to swelling in the legs, ankles and feet — all of which would hamper an elite athlete.
Merritt’s 2014 results included a seventh-place finish at Monaco (13.47 seconds), eighth in Paris (13.44) and, amazingly, a bronze medal at the world championships in Poland (13.04).
The performances were impressive, considering Merritt’s condition, but he never revealed his illness.
“You’re not thinking of somebody that age having something seriously, medically wrong with them,” said Ato Boldon, a former Olympic sprinter and current analyst for NBC Sports.
“I think all of us just sort of thought, ‘He did everything there was to do in this sport, and if his body is taking a little while to recover, well, he’s certainly earned it.’”
His last race of 2015 came Aug. 28 at the world championships final. He earned another bronze medal with a season-best 13.04.
When Merritt approached the starting line, his kidneys were operating at about 15 percent (which is near Stage 5, or what doctors consider full-blown kidney failure), and he was 8 pounds under his normal weight of 160.
He finally went public with his disease.
“I was like, ‘Well, maybe I should tell everyone now. This is what’s been going on in my life,’” Merritt said. “'And this is why I haven’t been running the world records that you saw in 2012.’
“I just decided to take a huge weight off of my chest.”
Merritt experienced a setback a few weeks into his recovery. He needed emergency surgery when a hematoma (a mass of clotted blood in the tissue) developed, putting pressure on the kidney.
But Merritt endured and began taking initial steps toward another Olympic bid, aiming to compete this summer in Rio de Janeiro.
“The first time I went over hurdles, I didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “You know how you have to learn how to walk before you can run. … It’s just a thought process, ‘OK, let’s relearn the basics.’’’
He started gaining momentum at indoor meets. When he enters Drake Stadium, he’ll line up against an elite field that also features David Oliver, a bronze medalist at the 2008 Olympics; Andrew Riley, a member of the Jamaican Olympic team; and Hansle Parchment, who edged Merritt by 0.01 seconds for second place at worlds.
“I would say I’m around 85 percent fitness,” Merritt said. “To be honest, I’m a little bit more fit than I was last year.
“However, training fitness and competition fitness are totally different.”
