Shark attack survivor Ali Truwit finished New York City Marathon on a carbon-fibre blade 30 months later

Thirty months ago, Ali Truwit nearly lost her life to a shark attack that claimed her left foot and lower leg.

Last weekend, she crossed the finish line of the New York City Marathon on a carbon-fibre prosthetic blade — and the world is taking notice.

It’s the kind of comeback story that stops you mid-scroll, the kind that makes every excuse you’ve ever made about skipping the gym feel embarrassingly hollow.

From a traumatic shark attack in Turks and Caicos to two Paralympic silver medals in Paris — and now 26.2 miles through the streets of New York — Truwit’s journey is one of the most staggering athletic and human comebacks in recent memory.

Ten Days That Changed Everything

In May 2023, Truwit had just completed the Copenhagen Marathon — a milestone she was proud of, a finish line she’d fought hard to reach.

Ten days later, everything changed.

While snorkeling in Turks and Caicos, she was bitten by a shark. She survived, but the attack cost her left foot and the lower portion of her leg — a loss that would have broken most people permanently.

For a competitive swimmer who had represented Yale University at the highest level, the psychological weight of that moment was immense. Getting back into the water triggered vivid flashbacks of the attack. The sport she loved had become a source of terror.

Silver Medals, Open Water, and Facing Fear Head-On

Within just 16 months of the attack, Truwit had done something extraordinary — she’d conquered that fear entirely.

At the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, she won not one, but two silver medals, proving to herself and the world that the shark had taken her leg but not her fire.

Still, she’s candid about how differently each challenge hit her.

Swimming was hard because of the traumatic memories I had associated with the water. I don’t swim with my prosthetic, whereas with running I have to use that prosthetic to help me get where I want to go. Running is physically harder; swimming was emotionally harder.

26.2 Miles, Five Bridges, and a Blade That Kept Slipping

The New York City Marathon was never going to be easy — but the obstacles Truwit faced were ones no training plan could fully prepare her for.

Sweat caused her prosthetic limb to slip repeatedly throughout the race, forcing her to stop multiple times to reattach it. She posted a video to her Instagram story mid-race — bouncing up and down at the roadside, working the blade back onto her leg, then pressing forward.

Then came the bridges.

Learning how to do it without an ankle, which is typically how you adjust for the incline and decline, was totally new. There were a lot of nuances to navigate with a blade.

Slippery hydration stations scattered with discarded cups added yet another layer of complexity. Every mile brought a new problem to solve — and she solved every single one.

The Woman Who Saved Her Life Was Right Beside Her at the Finish

Truwit didn’t run New York alone. Flanking her was former teammate Sophie Pilkinton — the woman who fought off the shark alongside her, helped her swim back to the boat, and applied the tourniquet that kept her alive.

Now, Truwit says, they’re like sisters.

We have an incredibly special bond. To come through a shark attack like that and survive together and save each other, to be running a marathon side by side, step by step, it’s just such a testament to her support and our friendship. Truly something I’m going to cherish for the rest of my life.

Thirteen other family members and friends completed the course alongside them — the same network of people who pulled her back from the edge and helped rebuild her life.

$220,000 Raised and Nine Lives Already Changed

The group ran in blue T-shirts bearing the name of Truwit’s charity — Stronger Than You Think — and by the time they crossed the finish line, they had raised an astonishing $220,000.

The cause is deeply personal. After her own experience with the staggering cost of prosthetics — and how little insurance typically covers — Truwit made it her mission to help others access the life-changing equipment they need.

These prosthetics are our mobility, our quality of life, our ability to go back to our careers and families and passions, so I wanted to do something about it. It’s been the most healing work for me to take this bad thing and use it for good.

Throughout the race, she kept glancing at her phone’s home screen — a photo collage of the nine women and girls she’s already helped find their own prosthetic limbs. Their faces kept her moving forward.

“Grief Comes in Waves” — The Recovery That Isn’t Over Yet

Despite everything she’s achieved, Truwit is the first to admit she’s still healing. The wins are real — and so is the grief.

Grief comes in waves. I grieve different things at different times. I’ve made a lot of progress on my healing journey, and I think there’s still a-ways to go.

Asked whether she’d rewrite her story if she could, her answer was complicated — and all the more powerful for it.

Not to have my life as an amputee would have been easier. I wish it hadn’t happened, but I’m really thankful that I now have this opportunity and platform to impact other people too.

The morning after the marathon, still sore but glowing, she spoke to CNN with the kind of clarity that comes from staring mortality in the face and choosing joy anyway.

I’ve been given a second chance. I came face to face with that almost not being my reality. You want to live life fully and beautifully and joyfully. I just kind of believe that smiling tricks my brain a little bit — even when I’m in pain or things are hard, I smile to send my body the message: I’m so grateful to be alive right now, and I know what a privilege that is.

She crossed that finish line over the moon — her words — and honestly, after everything she’s been through, she’s earned every inch of it.