Jack Ward
DID you know, £2 from each race ticket for Virtual Runner’s ‘Remember, Remember the 5k of November 2019’ races is going towards the wonderful charity ‘Limb Power’?
“Limb Power was launched in November 2009 to engage amputees and individuals with limb impairments in physical activity, sport and the arts to improve quality of life and to aid lifelong rehabilitation.”- Limb Power website
In light of being sponsored by the fantastic organisation, we take a look back at a remarkable amputee story from the world of running earlier this year.
“Everything we need to succeed is from within us, not from outside us.”
The words of double amputee Marko Cheseto following his record-breaking Boston Marathon run on the 15th April 2019.
The Kenyan went from being a promising American College runner in Alaska, to losing both feet, and yet still managed the fastest ever double amputee marathon just seven years later.
Although Cheseto had always been a keen runner, it was nothing more than a hobby for him, and at the age of 24 the Kenyan was working full time as a teacher.
It was only until Cheseto began to train twice a day after joining a running academy in Kenya’s urban sprawl, Eldoret, where his running became serious.
Eldoret was a harsh contrast from his childhood farmhouse in the Kenyan mountains. One key similarity though, the staggering altitude. The oxygen deprived air no doubt catalysed the runner’s steely endurance.
It didn’t take Cheseto long to catch the eye of talent spotters in the city, University of Alaska Anchorage track and cross-country coach Michael Friess proved to be the man with the golden ticket.
He put his print on America immediately, achieving first place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Not to mention setting a record for the Anchorage Mayor’s Half Marathon in 2010. But then just months later, disaster struck.
On the 6th November 2011, after going out in just jeans and a thin jacket, Cheseto was caught in a blizzard just off campus. After he was reported missing, the police embarked on a search that would take a bitter 56 hours.
When he was found, Cheseto was delirious, with a hazed memory and his feet severely frost bitten.
The only solution? Amputation.
Despite literally being left without a foot to stand on, Cheseto didn’t give up. In fact, he became even better than before. He was about to make his print on American long distance running once more. This time he didn’t even need feet to make that print.
The 36-year-old went on to become the second person ever to run a marathon in under three hours as a double amputee in the 2018 New York City Marathon, before setting the world record for such an athlete with a time of 2:42:24 in Boston this year.
Cheseto said after the race: “If someone has a physical condition, it does not limit what they can do. I don’t let it define me, I still have my inner power.”
Entry for these races are now closed, however, if you want to support Limb Power and help an amputee find their inner power, click the link: https://limbpower.com/
To see our latest medals click here now