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November 17, 2002

Julie Glance always dreamed of entering the Hawai'i Ironman triathlon. Now, she doubts she'll get in the ocean again — at least here in Hawai'i.

"I'm kind of in shock right now," the 34-year-old amateur triathlete said yesterday — the day after she was attacked by a shark 150 yards from her Ka'anapali hotel.

Glance, who received severe injuries to her right shoulder, arm and wrist, said she was happy to be alive during a news conference at Maui Memorial Medical Center.

"Right now I'm very, very happy," she said. "I didn't think I was going to make it. I was afraid he was going to come back again and finish me off."

Glance is the mother of two — a 2-year-old and a 5-month-old — and chief executive of Grossmont Schools Federal Credit Union in El Cajon, Calif. She said she went swimming by herself as a workout to help get back in shape following the birth of her youngest child.

The attack occurred at about 10:30 a.m. Sunday just after she swam 150 yards from the Embassy Suites Hotel and had turned parallel to the shore.

Glance said the water was somewhat cloudy and she didn't see what slammed into her shoulder and then sliced into her arm and bit her on the wrist.

She said she and the shark turned in different directions, but before it swam a way, she caught a glimpse of its head and tail. It was gray, she said, with a white tip on its tail. She estimated the length at 6 feet. She said she didn't recognize the species, but could probably identify it from pictures.

Glance said she was able to swim halfway to shore with the help of her fins. Luckily, she said, a surfer heard her screams and helped her in the rest of the way.

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Shark Attacks Hawaii , popular places, Shark Attack

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swimming , scary , shark , shark attack , swimmer , bitten on the arm