Picture this: you’re snorkeling during your tropical holiday only to fall victim to a sudden shark attack. Screaming, crying, and panicking would be the expected responses to such a crisis, but swimmer Ali Truwit is built different. “At least I got my marathon in before this,” quipped Truwit after a shark tore off part of her left leg while on vacation in Turks and Caicos with former teammate Sophie Pilkinton in 2023. But Truwit isn’t letting this nightmare define her; she’s now a double Paralympic silver medalist who’s planning on competing in the New York Marathon.

Yep, we are serious; the 25-year-old is set to run the next New York Marathon on November 2nd. “If you had told me two years ago that I was going to run 16 miles on a prosthetic blade throughout the streets of New York City, I would have never believed you,” she told Runner’s World Magazine, proving that no attack, no matter how brutal, can erase her determination or her craft.

She won’t be alone, though. Joining her in the race are her parents, Jody and Mitch, along with Pilkinton and her other friends. Her people are the very reason she’s back out there running today. “The same support that got me to the podium at the Paralympics is now the support that’s helping me run 26.2 miles on a prosthetic blade,” she said. “All of that support is what’s made my comeback possible, and it’s what drives me to give it back through my nonprofit work.”

Some of that support came in the form of Olympic champion Kate Douglass. After winning Olympic gold twice last year, Douglass didn’t head off to relax and celebrate; instead, she returned for the Paralympics to support Truwit in her quest. “It brought me to tears watching her in person at the Paralympics,” said Douglass of her old high school swimming teammate.

People often talk about being strong, but then there’s Ali Truwit, who, despite having a severed leg, swam to the boat with a shark on her tail. So, how did it happen?

Back in 2023, just days after graduating from Yale and completing the Copenhagen Marathon with her mother, she set off for a well-earned escape to Turks and Caicos with Sophie Pilkinton. About 60 yards from the boat, while snorkeling, the waters hid a deadly surprise: a shark was waiting. Suddenly, the shark slammed into Truwit, sending a surge of panic through the former competitive swimmer. She fought back, striking and kicking, but it was futile; the shark clamped down on her left foot.

Their screams pierced the water, but the boat and their guide remained agonizingly out of reach. Blood gushed from her leg as Truwit summoned every ounce of strength to swim toward safety. Once aboard, Pilkinton quickly fashioned a tourniquet to slow the bleeding. The guide radioed for an ambulance, and shortly after, another boat pulled alongside to transport her to safety. She was later airlifted to Miami to be with her parents. It was an incredibly ruthless period for her, but two years have passed since then, and she is now on the path to transforming it all.

Recovery was brutal for Truwit. She had to relearn life step by step, first on crutches, then on a prosthetic. She managed it, but what gnawed at her most was the longing for movement, the cardio, the adrenaline, the water rushing past her skin. It took months of grit and patience, yet every struggle proved worth it, when she stood on the podium at the biggest stage of Para sports last year in Paris. Through it all, her mother stood as the unshakable pillar that made her comeback possible.

“She’s taught me a lot,” said Ali Truwit as she credited her mother

Whenever she needed strength, her mother was the one who carried her through. She credits her journey to many helping hands and what felt like miracles, but at the heart of it all, it was her mother’s unwavering presence that made the difference. “My mom is a cognitive behavioral therapist, and she’s taught me a lot about ‘holding the dialectic:’ Two opposite things can be true at the same time. On one hand, it’s been hard to learn to run again, and it’s filled with pain and frustrations and setbacks, and can feel like, ‘I just miss having two feet,” said Ali.

She further added, “But at the same time, there’s so much joy, so much pride, so much gratitude for the fact that, one, I can afford a running blade and be able to run, two, that I’m getting back this life joy that I thought I wasn’t going to be able to reclaim. There was a time I thought I was never going to feel a runner’s high again.”

Truwit had to relearn running in a way. It’s no longer about feel, but rather sight. She has to be aware of her running path, ensuring she doesn’t trip over the rocks or cracks she cannot sense with her prosthetic. She also has to ensure her hips stay aligned on these uneven surfaces. Then there’s the issue of sweat. The prosthetic leg is stays on with the help of suction, but humidity and sweat can cause that seal to break, forcing Truwit to take breaks to wick the moisture.

It’s a difficulty that even American Paralympic sprinter Beatriz Hatz discussed at the ongoing World Para Athletics Championships. Nonetheless, Ali Truwit, as she always has, persists. And with the support of those closest to her, she’ll be tackling her next big running challenge. After all, if she can come back from a brutal shark attack, what’s a New York Marathon?