Triathlete and coach Jonathan Bruney said he survived an alligator attack while training with athletes in the Savannah River near the Georgia–South Carolina border. He described mistaking the animal for a floating log before reacting quickly, and said the experience would not stop him continuing his Ironman preparation.

Bruney estimated the alligator was five to six feet long and said it struck his elbow while he was leading the group. He said he punched it twice without effect, then squeezed its eye before reaching shore; a friend used a cord from a swim buoy to stem bleeding while a bystander called emergency services. Police, paramedics and doctors treated him, and Bruney said he had been cleared to keep training.