Ciara Mageean's friend has penned a beautiful tribute to her 'fierce friend,' who was the 'strongest, toughest competitor and athlete,' ahead of her funeral mass.
The Irish sportswoman, 34, died on Sunday, just one week after her wedding, following a courageous battle with cancer.
Remembering Ciara, her pal and fellow athlete, Phily Bowden said she learned of Ciara's passing just 30 minutes before she was due to run the New York City Marathon.
However, channelling Ciara’s grit and determination on her side, Phily was undeterred and finished in the top 20 for female runners.
Phily had been by Ciara's side for many years, starting as her training partner in Stockport before having the legendary runner as her bridesmaid just five months ago.
However, the Englishwoman was struck by tragic news as she prepared for the New York City Marathon, finding out about Ciara’s death just 30 minutes before it kicked off.
Phily was spotted in a flood of tears as she crossed the finish line, later stressing on social media that she had ‘ran New York for Ciara’.
She continued: ‘I finished 17th, in a time of 2:30:45. It wasn’t the New York I’d dreamed of, but I’m proud of how I fought, rallying for 14 miles of solo running and closing the gap on the field in front of me in the last 10km.
'... I’ll never be able to separate running the New York City Marathon from running it knowing I’d just lost an incredible friend.
‘You can try to put it all in a box, to stay in athlete mode and focus on process over emotion for 26.2 miles, and I did my best, but I’m human, and it’s never that simple.
‘Parts of the race are a blur, and at first I felt numb and indifferent about the result. It’s hard to care about a few seconds here, or a few positions there when running a marathon seems so irrelevant right now.
‘But I know that’s not how Ciara would see it. She was a fighter in everything she put her mind to, her sport especially, but also in how she showed up for those lucky enough to have her as a friend. So I fought for her.’
In another post in Ciara's honour, Phily remembered her as a treasured friend who 'lit up every room she walked into.'
'She was the friend who was always there for me, whatever I needed. The strongest, toughest competitor and athlete I’ve ever come across, and a fierce friend to anyone lucky enough to have some of her time, yet somehow she always found time for everyone,' Phily said.
She continued: 'Ciara lit up every room she walked into with her infectious smile and laugh. She could talk to anyone and was completely selfless with her time.
'On training mornings at the track in Stockport, she’d stop to talk and joke around with the visually impaired and disabled track users, and if I ran past, they’d say “is that Ciara?” and be thoroughly disappointed when it was just me.
'I’ll miss her advice, her laugh, the two of us being silly together. She was the first person I’d want to call when I was sad, or excited, or when I needed someone to tell me what to do.
'The world has lost an incredible soul, and without her there’s a big Ciara-shaped hole in my life and in the lives of so many others.'
Ciara's funeral mass is set to take place today, Tuesday, November 3.
Calls to reduce bowel cancer screening age after Ciara Mageean's death
