Two Toes For A Subscription to Trail Runner Magazine?

Ultra-marathoner Andrew Wells spent nearly 17 hours running 49 miles in temperatures that reached 15 below zero to win the Frozen Otter Ultra Trek last weekend in Wisconsin, but he will pay a heavy price: Two toes.Wells, the only competitor to make it past the 40-mile mark in the scheduled 24-hour race, has severe frostbite on two toes and they will have to be amputated.

Wells, 27, said he never noticed frostbite had set in. “My feet were obviously frozen, so I couldn’t feel them,” he said. “I thought my toes were OK.”After finishing, he went to a friend’s home in Madison and napped. He woke to intense pain in his toes. He removed his shoes and discovered a purple discoloration.Wells, a chiropractic student, tried to warm his feet in warm water and then went to a hospital in Platteville. From there, he went to Iowa University Hospital and clinics in Iowa City, where doctors plan to remove his big toe and the one next to it from his right foot.

He told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that surgery is scheduled for Friday. After learning amputation would be necessary, Wells brushed it off as a minor inconvenience. “I can live a good life without toes,” he said.Competitors could navigate the trail with any non-motorized form of transportation, such as snowshoes or skis. But most, like Wells, used only shoes and socks.He plowed through several inches of snow in running shoes, one pair of wool socks and a pair of waterproof socks.Race director Rod McLennan competes with Wells as part of Team Fat Otter, an Illinois-based adventure racing squad. He said Wells was the only competitor injured.But most of the 43 starters dropped out after 8 or 16 miles, and only four continued past the 32-mile mark.

They seemed to really enjoy it and called it quits at the right time and were happy they gave it a shot,” McLennan said. “For the most part, they stayed pretty warm when they were moving.

For the price of two toes, Wells won a prize package that included energy drinks, gel flasks, adventure gear and a subscription to Trail Runner magazine.