Ciara Mageean, the 34-year-old former European 1500 metres champion, has disclosed that she is living with stage four bowel cancer and has been told by doctors that she may have two to three years to live.

Mageean, who is originally from Portaferry and now lives in Dunmurry, just south of Belfast, was diagnosed in May of last year after experiencing severe digestive symptoms during a training camp in France. She was unable to remain on a spin bike for more than a few minutes without needing to use the toilet, sometimes up to six times in an hour.

The diagnosis came as a shock, as Mageean had no typical risk factors. She is a young, highly active athlete who worked with a nutritionist for more than a decade. According to medical data, less than five per cent of bowel cancer patients are under 50, and around one per cent are under 35.

After an initial course of 12 rounds of chemotherapy over six months, she received devastating news last Christmas Eve. Her oncologist told her that surgery and radiotherapy were not viable options. When she asked directly about her timeline, the consultant indicated a realistic outlook of two to three years.

However, early in the new year, a PET scan showed that most of the cancer cells in her lymph, bowel, liver, lung and abdomen had become inactive. The tumour in her bowel is now dormant. She recently completed another six rounds of chemotherapy and is waiting to learn what the next steps will be.

Since her diagnosis, Mageean has tried to maintain as much normality as possible. She filmed an episode of the RTE programme Uncharted in Costa Rica earlier this year, postponing a chemotherapy round to take part. She is also planning her wedding with her fiance, Thomas Moran, and they are looking at venues.

Mageean has written a memoir, My Greatest Race, with sports writer Cliona Foley, which covers both her athletics career and her cancer journey. The book is published by Gill Books on June 18th.

She has not watched much athletics recently, acknowledging that it is difficult to see her peers compete for titles she once held. She described feeling jealous and grieving both her career and the way it ended, without a final race.

Mageean said she tries to find dark humour to cope with the reality of her situation. She joked that her fiance might find it hard to move on after she is gone, but admitted that it is a way of dealing with the genuine worry of leaving him alone.