by Bernadette Gillis

Delano Meriwether, MD’67, didn’t become a runner hoping to set records or gain fame or recognition. But that’s just what he got when he became one of the country’s top sprinters in the early 1970s and landed on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

What started out as a hobby to relieve stress turned into something much bigger when Meriwether began to compete and win at several events, including the Millrose Games, the oldest invitational indoor track and field meet in the nation.

More than 30 years later he was invited back to the games—not as a competitor but this time as a distinguished guest.

As a part of the celebration of the 100th Millrose Games, Meriwether and 300 other guests attended a special Centennial Gala in the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center in New York in February. While the main event for the evening was the Millrose Games Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Meriwether and other former Millrose athletes were also recognized for their contributions to the sport.

In addition to attending the gala, Meriwether attended the games at Madison Square Garden the next day and enjoyed them for the first time as a spectator.

Seeing some of the best track and field athletes from around the world compete brought back memories of his days as a sprinter. But he did notice a few differences.

“The event put together by the Millrose group is well-orchestrated and more entertaining than it used to be,” he says. “My wife said she didn’t know a running
event could be so much fun.”

Although he's no longer a competitor, Meriwether still runs several days a week. “I find it very refreshing to devote an hour or half an hour to myself without the pressure to perform at a certain level,” he says.

A self-trained runner, Meriwether competed in the Millrose Games four times between 1971 and 1976, placing in the top three nearly every time. He was first invited to the games in 1971 at the age of 28 and placed second in the 60-yard dash. Later that year he entered other competitive events, including the national Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) championship, where he won the 100-yard dash in an astounding 9.0 seconds. This record-breaking time got him on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1971.

Compared to most athletes, Meriwether started competing relatively late in life. While a pre-med student at Michigan State he would run to relieve stress, however the thought of competing didn’t occur to him until well after medical school. While doing his post-graduate work as a hematologist at the Baltimore Cancer Research Center, he would spend his days in the research lab and his evenings on the track. He gradually began entering open amateur meets, but he says even then he was not necessarily driven by a desire to compete or win.

“It wasn’t a situation where I had to pay to enter. I just got out there and ran. I liked that spirit.”

Although he’s no longer a competitor, Meriwether still runs several days a week. And just like when he first started, he says it’s all about staying fit—both physically and mentally.

“I find it very refreshing to devote an hour or half an hour to myself without the pressure to perform at a certain level,” he says.

Professionally Meriwether works independently in two hospital emergency rooms not far from his home in Potomac, Md. He says this type of work gives him the flexibility he needs to devote time to his other interests, particularly his work in Africa. Meriwether often travels to Zimbabwe to help provide medical supplies and care. Located in the southern part of Africa, Zimbabwe is currently experiencing economic and political instability.

Meriwether is married to Nomvimbi, a South African, and the pair spent seven years doing mission work in South Africa while the country was still under apartheid.

“I feel particularly good that we were able to provide services at a time of need,” he says.

The Meriwethers have three children, and each seems to have been influenced by their father’s love of either sports or medicine. Daughter Fortune is a Stanford graduate and is applying to medical school. Daughter Nana is a senior at the University of California, Los Angeles, and an All-American volleyball player. Delano, Jr., is a high school senior and runs track at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C.