TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay woman who survived a 2018 hippopotamus attack while vacationing in Africa is getting ready to take part in her first race since she was injured.

"My husband and I are very active," said Kristen Yaldor, of Odessa. "We love to travel. We love photography. We're very much into sports and activities."

The couple's love of travel is what led to their trip to visit family in Africa. It was the second time they traveled to the continent, and they extended the trip to include a visit to Victoria Falls. They booked a canoe trip for Yaldor's birthday, December 1.

Shortly after the excursion began, she said a guide instructed them to navigate from the right side of Zimbabwe's Zambezi River to the left due to a hippo sighting.

"Out of nowhere, once we were on the left hand side of the bank, underneath our canoe, it just sprung up out of nowhere. We couldn't see anything. The water was dark. It bumped underneath our canoe and launched us straight into the air," Yaldor said. "We immediately started to try to swim to shore, which was only a few strokes away. However, I got about two strokes in, and my leg was grabbed, and I was dragged immediately under by the hippo."

Yaldor said she was underwater for about 45 seconds. 

"I think, ultimately, how I got away was, one — staying calm. So, either the hippo potentially thought I had already died, or two — I tried to grab its mouth and pry it open, as well, and I think that might've possibly spooked it," she said.

Yaldor said she back-stroked to shore. That's when she realized that her leg was torn open from her upper thigh to her knee. She would later learn her femur was broken. Her road to recovery included having muscle removed from her thigh, a skin graft, having a rod put in her leg, 14 surgeries, and physical therapy multiple times per week to re-learn how to walk.

"The hardest part is just the amount of time it takes to recuperate and heal. But in my focus and my journey of recovery, my ultimate goal is trying to return to as much of a normal life as I had before the accident," Yaldor said. 

No doctor could tell her exactly how long that would take.

"They really didn't have a prognosis because most people do not live in this type of situation," said Yaldor. 

She went from not being able to walk a year ago to preparing to take part in the Walt Disney World 5K on January 9.

"It's going to be a run, walk, run situation, which is the same training method we've used to do all of our races, even up to the marathons. It helps prolong your energy over the long course of the race," she said. "I'm most looking forward to just completing it, accomplishing that goal. Then I look forward to, once I achieve that, setting my next goal and working toward my next distance in races."

As part of the 5K, Yaldor is raising money to benefit Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, with funds going toward research. Her fundraising page says she chose this cause because this past year and her journey to re-learn how to walk has given her greater appreciation for people living with muscle weakness and mobility difficulties.

Yaldor has maintained a sense of humor about the attack -- her husband plans to wear a hippo costume to cheer her on during the 5K. This year will include more surgeries -- both cosmetic and to improve mobility, but she also has an optimistic outlook.

"You take your chances and you live your life. We took that chance, and unfortunately, I got injured in it, but I'm not looking back. I'm moving forward and looking to live and continue with my adventures," Yaldor said.

For information about Yaldor's fundraiser, visit this Facebook page.