Subway Mechanic Rick Ball

May-June 2009

What began as a hobby for Subway Line Mechanic and single-leg amputee Rick Ball materialized into a great success.

Ball captured his second world record last month, running 10 km in 37 minutes, 54 seconds at the Ottawa MDS Nordion race, breaking Californian C.J. Howard’s previous record by six seconds.

He also finished the 42-kilometre Boston Marathon in April with a record-breaking time of 3:01:50, beating American Amy Palmeiro-Winters’ time of 3:04:16.

Ball says that he hit “the wall” just two kilometres shy of the finish line at the 113th Boston race. Right after crossing the line, he collapsed in the first available wheelchair. When he awoke an hour later in the medical tent, he was finally able to realize his achievement of being fastest in his class. He says running those last two kilometres was the hardest thing he has ever had to do, both mentally and physically.

Ball is a below-the-knee amputee due to a 1986 motorcycle accident. He started running two years ago after joining his local YMCA to stay fit. In 2007, Ball qualified for Boston by running a time of 3:17 in the Mississauga Marathon. His Boston time improved his personal best by 16 minutes.

On top of his regular training schedule of running 80 km a week, Ball is also a swimmer and a motivational speaker to other recovering amputees as well as school children. He has even inspired many of his TTC co-workers to keep active and to try running.

With athletes such a Terry Fox as inspiration, he says his long-term goal is to qualify for the 2012 Paralympics on the Canadian relay team.

And his ambition might be very close to coming true.

His record race in Ottawa qualifies him for competitions with Team Canada. Athletics Canada has already sent him an application to be a part of the Canadian Paralympics Committee, and invited him to their training camp in Windsor in July.

Ball recently celebrated two decades of working at the TTC. The TTC and Local 113 are supporting and cheering for Ball if he attempts to break the three-hour mark at the Good Fitness Toronto Marathon in mid-October.