It is almost two years ago that Jess Coulson won gold at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Budapest - and she did so singing her way to the line.
Her young career since has not always been about sweet music as injury struck which disrupted her plans in 2013.
But on Sunday in Wales she will take another step in her progression when she makes her debut over the distance at the Cardiff Half Marathon.
The event incorporates the British Half Marathon Championships and Coulson, 24, will look to make her mark in a strong field.
The Stockport Harrier faces defending British champion Tish Jones, who took her personal best to 72:55 in Reading in March, along with three Kenyans who have all run quick times in 2014: last year’s Bath Half Marathon champion Perendis Lekapana, with 70:53, Joan Chelimo, with 71:52, and Gladys Yator, with 73:01.
Coulson showed her versatility to adapt to all surfaces with a 5000m personal best of 15:44.85 in the summer and could make the team for this December’s SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Samokov.
When Coulson won the under-23 event in 2012, she was delighted. As she said after her win: 'I was even singing to myself on the way around. I just felt good. I got going and didn't stop.'
A stress fracture then hit her hopes in 2013 and she needed an operation but has recovered well.
With a time 52:53 for 10 miles, she has a good base in an event that is now the second biggest Half Marathon in Great Britain behind the Great North Run with 21,000 entries.
Welsh legend Colin Jackson, the four-times European 110m hurdles champion who is the official starter on Sunday of a race that began in 2003, told walesonline: 'If you look at the Great North Run in comparison which has been going for some time, they have just celebrated their one millionth runner crossing the line. That is a significant fact but the Cardiff Half Marathon is developing so quickly.
'I don’t know if we will ever have 50,000 competing but we will be pushing 25,000 over the next couple of years.'