'I knew my body could do more than what doctors were telling me'

Doctors told Karl Corcoran he’d never run a marathon. They even warned him he might never have children. But the 27-year-old from Longwood has smashed every expectation.

In a remarkable feat of endurance and courage, Karl completed the Boyne Adventure Race, a gruelling multi-discipline challenge in Trim celebrating afterward with his partner and their two-year-old daughter, Lucy., a milestone that once seemed impossible.

Karl’s journey to the finish line has been anything but easy. In December 2019, he came down with what appeared to be a flu. It lingered longer than expected with Karl believing it to have likely been the original COVID-19, though testing was scarce at the time.

“I had aches and pains in my joints that never went away,” Karl recalls. “I wasn’t used to being sick. Something just felt wrong.”

As the months went on, the pain spread from his shins to his knees, hips, shoulders, and jaw. Visits to his GP, X-rays, and tests yielded no answers. Everyday tasks became monumental challenges. “I went from playing football and going to the gym multiple times a week to being bedridden, unable to raise my hands above my head,” he says.

By mid-2020, the situation escalated. Karl struggled to get out of bed and even brush his teeth without pain. The uncertainty was exhausting. Eventually, a private full-body MRI revealed that: Karl had High Grade B-Cell Lymphoma that had spread from his legs to his skull.

On Christmas Eve 2020, Karl underwent a nine-and-a-half-hour surgery to remove a tumor from his skull. Surgeons inserted a titanium mesh to replace the section removed during the operation. Recovery was long and intense. “I had 65 staples in my head and was off my feet for twelve weeks,” he says. “It was hard, but I knew I had to push forward.”

Despite the severity of his condition, Karl refused to be defined by cancer. He focused on what he could do to reclaim his life. While recovering, he started small: laps around the hospital ward, light exercises, and gradual mobility work. “I knew my body could do more than what doctors were telling me,” he explains.

This year Karl was ready to tackle a new challenge, the Boyne Adventure Race. Unlike a traditional marathon, this race tests endurance across multiple disciplines. Participants face a 4-kilometre run, followed immediately by a 16-kilometre cycle, a 700-metre kayak, a 3-kilometre cross-country run, a 14.8-kilometre cycle, and a final 100-metre sprint. Many doubted Karl could complete it, given his medical history, but he was determined to prove them wrong.

“I wanted to show people that even after cancer, even when you’ve been told you can’t do something, you can,” he says.

When race day arrived, Karl gave everything. The challenge pushed him to his limits, but finishing it was a powerful validation of all the months of hard work, pain, and recovery. “Crossing the finish line was incredible,” he recalls. “It was proof that my body was capable of more than anyone thought even me.”

Completing the Boyne Adventure Race was a personal victory but celebrating it with his family made it even more poignant. During treatment, doctors had warned Karl that fatherhood might never be possible.

Yet in 2023, his daughter Lucy was born.

“Holding her after finishing the race that was the best feeling ever,” he says. “It made everything I went through feel worth it.” Karl’s experience has inspired him to help others. In 2023, he launched a strength and conditioning coaching business, focusing on motivating people to push past limitations and rediscover their own potential. He also volunteers with CanTeen Ireland, a charity supporting young people diagnosed with cancer, and speaks at conferences across Europe to advocate for better support systems for survivors.

“The journey through cancer teaches you about resilience,” Karl explains.

“It gives you perspective and makes you more compassionate. Everyone has battles, visible or not, and I want to show that you’re stronger than you think.”

From misdiagnosis and months of debilitating pain to major surgery and intensive cancer treatment, Karl who now lives in Kilcock has overcome obstacles that would have stopped most people in their tracks. Now, he’s showing the world that with the right mindset, anything is possible.

“People told me I couldn’t run a marathon, that I’d never have a child,” he says. “But here I am, stronger than ever, crossing the finish line and celebrating life with my daughter. Nothing is set in stone. You just have to believe in yourself.”

Karl’s outlook on life has changed dramatically since his diagnosis. Simple things, like walking down the street, are now viewed with a new perspective. “You don’t know what someone else is going through,” he says. "You can’t judge people based on appearances, everyone has their own battles.”

Despite the hardships, Karl continues to live life to the fullest. He trains regularly, continues coaching, and plans to tackle even more adventure races.

“Finishing the Boyne Adventure Race and holding my daughter afterward it was the culmination of everything I fought for,” he says. “It proves that even when the odds are against you, you can overcome. You just have to keep moving forward and stick to the plan.”