Ann O'Neill, who hails from Youghal in Co Cork, has gone viral, with many deeming her 'inspirational' as she sets her sights on her 80th marathon.
The mum-of-three completed the TCS New York City Marathon on November 2, revealing it was her third marathon in 2025.
Now, she's eyeing up Japan for the milestone 80th.
@theline_show We interviewed this Irish woman at the New York marathon who ran 79 marathons. Give her the encouragement to step over the 100th Line 👇 #marathon #irish #nyc #running #humanstories ♬ son original - 🌅🤍🫶🏻
Speaking to Cork Beo, Ann revealed she used to be a full-time mum for her three children - Garry, Daniel, and Niamh - but after they grew up, she decided to follow her dream of doing children's nursing.
She went to college at UCC as a mature student, but a shock breast cancer diagnosis towards the end of her degree changed everything.
It was shortly after her 50th birthday, and after a routine screening, Ann found out she had breast cancer.
"I had felt no symptoms at all," she said. "To be honest, the worst part of it was we had just buried by brother from cancer six weeks earlier. I was worried about how my mum would take it."
Now based in London, Ann regularly flies home to Cork, where she undergoes routine check-ups.
"I'm lucky in that treatment was very successful in my case. I had surgery, chemo, and radiotherapy," she said.
Ann's treatment took around one year, and she was finally able to start her internship thereafter. The mum-of-three graduated in 2020, and went on to work in both the CUH and the Bon Secours Hospital, which she jokes was "definitely a baptism of fire."
"Ladies and gentlemen, I think we found our future president of Ireland for 2032," one TikTok user wrote, as another said: "What a legend, I hope she knows how amazing she is."
*This article was originally published on Evoke.ie.
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