After training with prosthetic legs for a year, a man who lost both of his legs after having a seizure and falling onto a New York City subway platform will compete in a 5K obstacle course and 6K race this weekend.
The Stamford Advocate reported that in February 2018, Roman Leykin, 36, a former computer worker from Brooklyn who was diagnosed with epilepsy as a teenager, was stranded in a seizure while traveling to work.
He was run over by a train after falling into the tracks due to the abrupt attack, suffering a catastrophic head damage and requiring his legs amputated.
Leykin has decided to dedicate himself to the world of sports as he is no longer able to perform his profession. He will compete in the Gaylord Guantlet’s 5K obstacle course on Saturday and the Achilles Hope & Possibility 6K on Sunday.
Leykin told the Advocate, “Right now, I’m attending as many amputee events as I can all around the country and very soon all over the world.” I am unable to stop.
Leykin, who was web developer working in Manhattan, said the moments after his 2018 accident were a blur after he fell unconscious suffering from the brain injury he sustained.
He spent a year at the Burke Rehabilitation Hospital in White Plains, New York, and was using a wheelchair until 2021.
That was a big year for Leykin, who committed himself to walking with short prosthetics.
‘I jumped off my wheelchair and I took a couple steps and I fell immediately,’ Leykin told the Advocate about his first attempt with the ‘stubbies.’
‘I got right back up. And I fell. And I got right back up. And I fell.
‘And within 15 minutes or 20 minutes, I was walking and not holding on to a single thing. Yes, I was shorter, but the freedom of movement gave me freedom of life.’
Documenting his progress on Instagram and TikTok, where he has nearly 200,000 followers, Leykin can be seen taking short, awkward steps in May 2021 before falling down with a smile on his face over the freedom of mobility.
Since then, Leykin has evolved to using longer ‘tech legs,’ as he enjoys hikings, sailing, golfing, bowling, rock climbing, hockey, skiing and other sports.
‘I’m a very competitive person. I love sweating. So doing anything that makes you sweat, I feel great no matter what the activity is,’ he said.
Leykin’s most recent endeavor was the tumultuous Gaylord Gauntlet, a nonprofit obstacle course race held at the Wallingford site of Gaylord Specialty Healthcare.
The 5K race entails walks through mud hills and forests, hurdles over walls and trees, and a slide into a swimming pool. Leykin and the others had to complete 24 obstacles in all throughout the race.
Leykin was praised for his determination and capacity to change his life by Katie Joly, the program manager for the Gaylord Sports Association.
‘A lot of times for people it’s getting that confidence back to be who they are again because … a lot of folks that we work with, they have had a spinal cord injury, a stroke, a traumatic brain injury, limb loss, like Rome, and they’re learning how to live their life differently,’ Joly told the advocate.
The fun but grueling course would leave most people too sore to move the next day, but Leykin is instead choosing to tackle the 20th annual Achilles Hope & Possibility four-mile race on Sunday.
The race, set to begin in the morning in New York City’s Central Park, celebrates disability inclusion and allows all to join the event on the heels of the anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Leykin told the Advocate he was excited to take on the race and keen to follow his mantra, ‘Relentless forward positive momentum.’
The athlete said he was always moving forward, jokingly warning others, ‘I’m not gonna get in your way, but don’t dare get in mine because … you might get rolled over, you might get walked over, you might get run over.’