For most of her career, Ciara Mageean’s mornings revolved around stopwatches and splits. These days, they involve hospital corridors and doctor visits. The 2024 European 1500m champion now fights a battle that has nothing to do with lap times. From breaking national records to awaiting the results of chemotherapy scans, Mageean’s journey has been characterized by both historic triumphs and heartbreaking setbacks. As she continues treatment for stage 4 cancer, the Northern-Irishwoman doesn’t mince words about her perspective.

Speaking to journalist Mark Woods for Athletics Weekly about her new memoir, titled My Greatest Race, Mageean admitted the fear now shadowing every part of her life.

“Now I’m afraid I might die before I’m 40. Little wonder there’s sometimes a little devil on my shoulder muttering: ‘What the f***’s the point in exercising now?’” Mageean told Mark Woods.

That admission sets the tone for her memoir, which she wrote in collaboration with journalist Cliona Foley. The book hit the shelves last month and covers her journey from Portaferry to becoming a gold medallist at the European 1500m championships, and then to contending with her cancer diagnosis.

“This moment carries a lot of emotions. I’m proud to finally share: I’ve been working on a book, together with the brilliant Cliona Foley. My Greatest Race is the story I’ve always wanted to tell: the triumphs, the setbacks, and everything in between,” Mageean wrote in an Instagram post announcing the book in January this year.

Her words bear the weight of real accomplishment. She came fourth at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, setting a new Irish national record of 3:56.61. However, she missed out on a medal by just 0.61 seconds. She redeemed her loss by winning the gold medal in the 1500 m race at the European Championships in Rome 2024, making her the first individual Irish European track champion since Sonia O’Sullivan. But instead of further triumph, she was greeted by a gutwrenching revelation.

Injuries to her Achilles meant she missed out on the Paris Olympics, and less than a year later, Mageean was out of competition entirely due to cancer. Yet despite the eighteen courses of her treatment, Mageean still manages to find time for normal pleasures. In fact, she adorns her treatment with little feats of running. Though still beneficial to her health, her minimal training is more “for my head.” Such sentiments also inform the next part of her journey, and she isn’t alone.

Northern Ireland rallies around Ciara Mageean

Mageean’s resilience did not appear overnight. It was built over a decade of setting the bar higher for Irish middle-distance running, and it is that same grit and quiet determination she now leans on every single day. Since coming out about her condition in July last year, Mageean has been receiving many letters and cards from total strangers, including one from a young girl who wrote, “Super Star is spelled with two words”, which got to her right on time despite having no more information than “Ciara Mageean, Portaferry, County Down, Ireland.”

Now, Mageean is looking forward to attending the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and getting married to her partner, Tommy Moran. However, even with all these plans for her life outside the track, Mageean will always remain a part of the record books as an athlete. She owns six Irish records, including times in the 800m, 1000m, and 1500m races, and her mile race time of 4:14.58 makes her ‌fifth on the all-time list.

Ciara Mageean’s journey and career illustrate how resilience is not confined to the track but also applies to life’s biggest challenges.