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Runner rescued from snowstorm loses both feet to frostbite |
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Tuesday, November 22, 2011 07:54 |
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By Beth Bragg, Anchorage Daily News
Marko Cheseto, the All-American runner from University of Alaska Anchorage who suffered severe frostbite during a two-day disappearance earlier this month, has had both feet amputated, the university's athletic director said Monday.
Cheseto, a 28-year-old Kenyan who ran to the NCAA Division II West Region cross-country championships in 2009 and 2010, lost both feet above the ankle on Thursday, according to a statement released by the university.
In the statement, Cheseto thanked those who participated in a massive search of trails and streets.
"As some may know, I've been going through a lot of personal issues," Cheseto said. "While I am still recovering - both physically and emotionally - I will do my very best to give back to the community that has helped me so much and to my home country, Kenya.
"I sincerely apologize for any problems that I might have caused."
Cheseto is believed to have been outdoors the whole time he was missing, UAA athletic director Steve Cobb said Monday. The runner may have been unconscious at times, he said.
"He was running on a trail at one point, I know that," Cobb said. "There's really a lot of things we just don't know yet."
One of several Kenyan runners who have come to UAA to compete for the Seawolves in track and cross country, Cheseto skipped last spring's track season in the wake of teammate William Ritekwiang's suicide. Ritekwiang and Cheseto were friends who both came to UAA from Kapenguria, Kenya.
Cheseto is one of the most decorated athletes in UAA history.
Send cards for Marko Cheseto to the UAA athletic department at 3211 Providence Drive, Anchorage 99508.
Read more of the story at the Daily News website.
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