DES MOINES — David Brown couldn’t see 14,504 fans packed into Drake Stadium in Des Moines on Saturday.

He’s totally blind. But the sprinter could feel them. “Drake is an amazing atmosphere,” Brown said. “I can’t really explain it. The electricity out there is so … well honestly, electrifying. You can’t help but to just run fast. The track is a great track to run on and the atmosphere is like the Paralympic Games. It’s great, I love it.”

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – More than 10 U.S. Paralympians will return to the Blue Oval as part of a significant partnership between Drake Relays presented by Hy-Vee and U.S Paralympics, the two organizations announced today. The 109th Drake Relays presented by Hy-Vee will present four Paralympic events, the most ever since 2012, with the women’s wheelchair 100- and 400-meter, and the men’s ambulatory 100 and 200 taking place April 27-28 in Des Moines, Iowa.

David Brown of Team USA wins the gold medal and sets a Paralympic record in the men's T11 100m in Rio after being perfectly in sync with guide, Jerome Avery, throughout the race.

You may not know him by name, but David Brown is nothing short of inspirational. Brown, a legally blind world champion track & field star, earned a gold medal in the Paralympics men’s 100m Tll race Sunday (Sept. 11).

Take a sneak peak at NBC Olympics’ coverage by watching this feature on how U.S. Paralympian David Brown, a blind track star, and Jerome Avery, his guide, are training for Rio.

DES MOINES, Iowa -- For decades, the Drake Relays have vaulted unknown names into stardom, and this year's field is loaded with Olympic talent. As David Brown sets foot on the legendary Blue Oval, he’s the gold medal favorite heading into Rio. “Track is who I am, and speed is who I am,” he said.

His two world records make him almost unbeatable.

David Brown, an alum of the Missouri School for the Blind in St. Louis, is competing in the Paralympics this week.

Brown, valedictorian of the 2011 graduating class of the Missouri School for the Blind (MSB), will compete this week in the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was born in Kansas City and moved to St. Louis as a child to attend MSB. 

U.S. Paralympian David Brown has never seen the track on which he trains. He and his guide, Jerome Avery, explain their bond and how Avery helps Brown be his fastest while running tethered together.What's this item about? What makes it interesting? Write a catchy description to grab your audience's attention...

Pity was not permitted in the Brown household. Not with a single mom trying to raise two school-age children. Not with so many dreams to chase.

“I wanna be the fastest athlete, totally blind, of all time. Not just the fastest totally blind athlete, I’m striving to be the fastest athlete of all time … I’m not going to stop until I’m as fast as Usain Bolt or faster.”

Every four years, the US sends a team of blind runners to compete at the Summer Paralympic games. But — without sight — how do they make their way around the track?

The answer is simple: The buddy system.

It won’t be too hard Sunday morning to pick out 23-year-old David Brown among the thousands galloping along in the 4-mile Trolley Run.

Brown, with his world-class sprinter’s body, winning smile and cool glasses, will be speeding down the course with his hand tethered by elastic to a running guide.

Kansas City native David Brown remembers what it was like to lose his sight. At 15 months old he was diagnosed with Kawasaki’s Disease, which led to glaucoma. A surgery at the age of 3 left him unable to see out of his left eye, and at 6 he began to gradually lose what remained of his vision.

The US 100m T11 world champion talks about his relationship with his coach, the Brazilian 800 Olympic champion from 1984 Joaquim Cruz.

The shoelace is worn and frayed, with loops tied at each end. David Brown curls his fingers tightly around one loop, then Jerome Avery grabs the other.

"Four inches," David says. "That's all we have between us."