It’s not every day that an Olympic gold medalist comes to town. But in Traverse City, today just happens to be one of those days.

Meet LaShawn Merritt, a track and field star and the 2008 Olympic champion in the 400-meter dash. He’s one of the fastest men of all time in that distance, and a decorated sprinter overall, with another three Olympic medals to his name and a mantle full of world championship victories. This weekend, Merritt is bringing his stories and his Olympic medals to Traverse City, giving locals a chance to hear him speak, take photos with him, and even run alongside him.

What brings this pantheon-level athlete to the Cherry Capital of the World? That’s thanks to Don Piche, a local chiropractor who, in the past few years, has gotten used to rubbing shoulders with Olympic talents.

“I’ve had the chance to be around a few of them now,” Piche laughs. “I founded the Traverse City Curling Club, and we just had a bunch of Olympians in town a month and a half ago when they were here for nationals.”

While track athletes and curlers don’t always run in the same circles, Piche happened to meet Merritt “through some business organizations that we’re both involved with.” When Piche heard about the charitable and public speaking work Merritt has been doing since retiring from professional running – much of it in the chiropractic world – he set his sights on bringing the Olympian to northern Michigan.

“What he’s focusing on now is using his platform to help kids in inner-city areas through running,” Piche says of Merritt. “He’s coming up here to give a speech at an event for the Michigan Chiropractic Association, but then I also said to him, ‘Hey, if you’re going to be in Traverse City, let’s not waste the opportunity. We have a huge community of runners and outdoor enthusiasts who would love to meet you.’ And he was tickled at that prospect.”

Merritt got into town yesterday, and The Ticker had an opportunity to sit down with him and learn more about his post-retirement path. Now 37 years old, the track star joined the annals of U.S. athletic history when he outpaced the field to win a gold medal in the 400 meters at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. He ultimately brought home two golds from that Olympics, the other as part of the winning U.S. team in the 4x400-meter relay. Eight years later, he won two more medals at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, including another gold in the 4x400 relay and a bronze in the 400 meters.

Merritt retired from competitive running in 2017, but still holds a special place in track and field history. His personal best in the 400 meters, a 43.65-second run at the 2015 World Athletics Championships in Beijing, is the ninth fastest time ever recorded in that distance, by anyone in the world. He also ran 19.74 seconds in the 200 meters at the 2016 Olympic Trials, the 23rd fastest time ever in that distance.

While Merritt says adjusting to retirement “was not easy” after 17 years where his life was totally “devoted to the sport,” he eventually found a new calling in motivational speaking.

“When I was done [competing], I didn’t know what I was going to do,” Merritt tells The Ticker. “I didn't want to be a coach. I didn’t want to be a track and field commentator. But then I ended up connecting with my chiropractor, who I had taken around the world with me when I was competing – I actually attribute a lot of my success to chiropractic care – and he took me to a chiropractic convention. It sparked my interest [in public speaking].”

Since then, speaking engagements have been Merritt’s stock and trade – not just at chiropractic conventions, but also at galas for nonprofit organizations, at company meetings of Fortune 500 enterprises, and more. While many of his stories and bits of wisdom come from running, Merritt is passionate about making those concepts universal, so they apply far beyond the world of sport.

“Because track and field is an individual sport, I learned a lot about accountability and a lot about the importance of bringing your best self every day to what you’re doing,” Merrit says. “No one signed us up for a team; we wouldn’t get fined if we didn’t show up to practice. But to succeed in track and field, you had to show up. Not everyone is going to be an Olympic gold medalist, but when you’re approaching any kind of dream or a goal, it’s important to get out strong and then keep momentum, just like in the 400.”

Merritt’s speaking engagements also help raise funds and awareness for his nonprofit, the LaShawn L Merritt Foundation, which works “to foster health and wellness by offering mentorship, essential resources, and scholarships to young individuals,” particularly kids from underprivileged communities.

Those interested in meeting Merritt can do so this evening at an open-to-the-public event at Fleet Feet in downtown Traverse City. The engagement will run from 4:45-7pm and will include some remarks from Merritt as well as a meet-and-greet and photo op. Selfies with Merritt and his medals are $15 apiece, while professional photos – which will be printed off and signed on site – are $30.

The meet-and-greet will be followed at 7:15pm with a free community fun run on the TART Trail. All levels of runners, joggers, and walkers are welcome, including kids and parents with strollers.

Though the pace won’t be fast, Merritt jokes he’s been training for the fun run for the past two weeks.

“I said to myself, ‘You know what, I’ve got to do a little bit before I go out there with these people,’” Merritt laughs. “So I got adjusted three times this week – my uncle is a chiropractor – and I’ve been doing some treadmill work and just moving around more than usual. So, I’m ready and I’m excited about this!”