This much I know: Derval O’Rourke, athlete and author

I began running because I loved it and because I was pretty good at it.

I had no idea I’d end up doing it as a career for 12 years. It wasn’t until I became a teenager that I started taking it more seriously once I realised the options it could give me, such as sports scholarships.

I felt confined by school, having to sit at a desk. Most of my school reports said that I talked too much. I was a very easy-going child. I just wanted to run or play with animals.