Ali Truwit’s Latest Announcement Is a Testament to Her Inspiring Resilience

The Paralympic athlete is once again proving that the sky is the limit.

Ali Truwit was photographed by Ben Horton at The Boca Raton. Swimsuit by Bananhot. / Ben Horton/Sports Illustrated

Ali Truwit remains one of the most resilient faces to grace SI Swimsuit, and this week she took to Instagram to show the world what she has up her sleeves—and it’s sure to touch the hearts of many fans out there.

After a shark attack in May 2023 resulted in the below-the-knee amputation of her left leg, Truwit thought her last marathon she’d ever run would be the one she ran with her mother 10 days before that life-changing incident.

“I can still remember lying on the floor of the boat, looking up at the first responder, Matthew, and joking, ‘Well, at least I got my marathon in before this,‘” Truwit recalls. “And without missing a beat, he looked right back at me and told me, ‘You'll run another one.’”

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Well, that sentiment proved to be true, as she just announced that she will run the 2025 New York City Marathon—all 26.2 miles across the city. She will do so alongside her mother and several other friends and family members who are there to support her every step of the way. The ultimate goal? To raise money for Truwit’s non-profit organization Stronger Than You Think, which aims to provide aid for girls and women all over the world in need of prosthetics and other forms of support.

After her amputation, Truwit had no choice but to adapt to her new reality, and—although doing so had its highs and lows—she refused to count herself out. Now, with her head held high, she tells her story in her own words.

Ali Truwit was photographed by Ben Horton at The Boca Raton. Swimsuit by Agent Provocateur. / Ben Horton/Sports Illustrated

“When the shark attack and amputation first happened, there was a lot of media interest in my story,” the 24-year-old Paralympic athlete told the brand following her 2025 SI Swimsuit debut in Boca Raton, Fla. “There was a lot of misinformation out there as a result of waiting eight months to share my story. I really wanted to correct the narrative that [close friend] Sophie [Pilkinton] and I saved ourselves.“

She added, “We fought a shark, we swam 70 yards, me footless and bleeding, back to a boat. We saved ourselves. That was such a healing thought to me, that I could take this bad thing that happened to me and use it for good.”

This year’s New York City Marathon will officially take place on Sunday, Nov. 2. Fans can show support for Truwit and her non-profit organization here.

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