A top collegiate runner from Kenya who spent two days lost in an Alaska snowstorm had both of his feet amputated because of severe frostbite damage, the University of Alaska at Anchorage said on Monday.
Marko Cheseto, a two-time NCAA All-American runner, disappeared on November 6 after leaving the university campus during a heavy storm. More than two days later he walked into a campus hotel, severely hypothermic and frostbitten.
Both of Cheseto’s feet were amputated because of severe frostbite, the university said in a statement.
The disappearance of Cheseto, who had been recruited by the university’s cross-country team, triggered an intensive search in the woods surrounding the campus. But authorities said they had been hampered in their search efforts for the star athlete by new-fallen snow, which obscured his tracks.
Cheseto set the speed record for the Anchorage Mayor’s Half Marathon and holds numerous athletic honors, including All-America honors bestowed twice by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
He was one of several accomplished Kenyan athletes who have been recruited for the University of Alaska at Anchorage cross-country and track teams.
Cheseto is studying nursing and nutrition and has been honored for his academic accomplishments, according to university records.
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Source- Reuters
Lost and found Kenyan runner in Alaska loses feet to frostbite
