By Steve Milton, The Hamilton Spectator
 
If the all-comers meet had been even a day earlier, one of the very best "blade runners" in the world wouldn't be trying to break Oscar Pistorius's world record in Hamilton.

But Patrick Blake Leeper's one-year suspension from track ends 18 hours before the Hamilton Twilight meet at McMaster University begins, at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 21.

And he'll be there to begin his competitive comeback, which he hopes leads to a new 400m world record, a berth in the Rio Paralympics and, possibly, a berth in the Rio Olympic Games.

Leeper, who was born without legs, won a silver medal behind the once famous, but now infamous, Pistorius in the 400ms dash at the London Paralympic Games in 2012, took bronze in the 200m, holds a world relay record and is United States record-holder over three distances.

"This gives me a chance to run," Leeper said from Los Angeles. "And, I heard that Hamilton has one of the fastest tracks in Canada.

"People can see a disabled runner and what blade runners are like, and to get to know my story: What you can do with what you have."

Born in Tennessee 26 years ago, Leeper got his first prosthetic legs when he was nine months old and grew up playing a number of competitive sports.

When Leeper was 19 he was watching Pistorius and other parathletes on ESPN and "I went, 'holy smokes that's amazing.' When I first got my own blades and I came around the corner of the track and felt the wind on my face, I felt like a kid again. I was running twice as fast as I'd ever run."

Within a couple of years he was winning medals at major international meets competing against the world's best parathletes including Pistorius, now awaiting sentencing for murder in his native South Africa.

Leeper's rapid success, combined with an engaging personality, earned him appearances at the NBA all-star game, on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," and at the ESPY Awards.

But he was also struggling with alcoholism, due, he says, to lifelong insecurities caused by his disability.

He took cocaine when he was drinking at a party last year and when a metabolite was discovered in his urine test he was given a two-year suspension from track.

"Alcoholism led me to make terrible decisions," he said. "Once I had a drink, I didn't make good choices. I'm trying to overcome the internal demons, the challenges in my life that led me to drink so much and led to alcoholism."

Millionaire philanthropist Bob Lorsch began guiding and helping Leeper, financially and legally. Through a comprehensive negotiated settlement, the suspension was reduced to one year.

Now, Leeper goes to as many as a dozen AA meetings per week, "pees in a cup" three times a week and works out, fanatically hard, 20 hours a week.

"With the steps I've been able to make in the last year, I hope I can show people when you go through challenges, it's not how hard you can hit but how much you can take being hit," says Leeper, thankful to Lorsch and his foundation.

Leeper is trying to make the United States Olympic Committee 400m qualifying standard of 45.4 seconds so he can be invited to the U.S. Olympic trials for Rio.
"That's on the table but right now the focus is on breaking Oscar's record (45.39)," he says. "And I hope to do it in Hamilton. It's an amazing opportunity that they've allowed me to come there."

Paula Schnurr, Mac's head cross-country and track coach, was surprised that Leeper had applied to Hamilton's Twilight meet. But she's glad to have him and is encouraging fans to see this world-class athlete with the deep back-and-current stories.

"The reason I run is that doctors told me growing up that I'd never walk a day in my life," Leeper says. "Everybody — kids, adults, disabled, the able-bodied — should come and see this run. I'll give my all, educate a few people and hopefully I'll do what no one there ever has seen before … run faster on blades than anyone has ever run:
"And then they can say, 'Blake did it ….so can I.'"

smilton@thespec.com
905-526-3268 | @miltonatthespec