Double Amputee Marko Cheseto Completes Boston Marathon Despite Issues With One Prosthetic Leg
BOSOTN (CBS) -- Marko Cheseto, who has two prosthetic legs, was one of the para athletes who competed in the Boston Marathon on Monday.
Cheseto, a Kenyan native who now lives in Florida, had a bit of an equipment issue Monday. He said his right prosthetic leg came out of place around the 12th mile.
"My right prosthetic wouldn't hold into me. It was losing suction," Cheseto told WBZ-TV's Steven Burton. "At mile 12, I had think about how I was going to tackle the remainder."
But he finished the race with a smile on his face. Cheseto said he lost his legs about a decade ago.
"Frostbite, in Alaska. I was stuck outside in Alaska, November 2011 for more than 66 hours," said Cheseto.
He added that he felt immense gratitude for being able to compete in the marathon.
"This is incredible to be alive, running, doing what I love to do. And that's why I don't even complain about what happened today. I am very happy with my performance today because, to me, this is a second chance in life," he said.
Cheseto added he is a huge advocate of mental health.
"When I do this, I am running for a cause. I am also touching people's lives, and particularly mental health. People don't want to talk about that, but I am an advocate of mental health," he said. "My call is to have a society where someone experiencing mental health can call work and say, 'I can't make it to work today. I have a mental health issue.' Just like you can call when you have a headache."
Cheseto holds the record for a double amputee at the Boston Marathon, finishing with a time of 2:42:24 in 2019.