Ali On The Run Show

“I couldn’t hear. I couldn’t think. He was very matter of fact. He said, ‘You have a complete medial meniscus root tear. That means your meniscus tore off the bone. You need surgery — not today, but in the next couple days. Tokyo isn’t an option.’” Professional Puma-sponsored runner Aisha Praught Leer was living every athlete's dream this summer. She'd secured her spot on Jamaica's Olympic team, and was training in St. Moritz with her Team Boss teammates Emma Coburn and Cory McGee. She was feeling fit. Fast. Ready to race the 1500 in Tokyo. But then, just a few days before boarding the plane to Japan, Aisha was warming up before a track workout when she felt a pop in her knee. That pop turned out to be a torn meniscus. ("Like meniscus fully dangling off the bone," Aisha explains.) In this conversation, Aisha reflects on that day at the track in Chiavenna, and talks about what it's like when all of your dreams are ripped away from you in an instant. She talks about her decision to race anyway, and talks abo