WRITTEN FOR THE IAAF WEBSITE.

Following a highly promising summer on the roads and a continental cross country victory, Gemma Steel is looking to capitalise on her fine form by making her mark at two global championships and over a potential new distance in 2015.

Riding on the crest of a wave, the 29-year-old Briton will compete on home soil as the European champion for the first time this weekend, leading the Great Britain and Northern Ireland team against Europe and the USA at the international Great Edinburgh cross country – an IAAF Cross Country Permit meeting – at Holyrood Park on 10 January.

A comfortable winner of the 2014 event, Steel hopes another impressive outing in the Scottish capital will propel her to a top-ten placing in March’s IAAF World cross country Championships in Guiyang, China which in will in turn earn her qualification for the 10,000m at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing in August.

“I am aiming to run well in the world cross – a top ten finish is a realistic target and a medal would be a dream, anything is possible,” revealed Steel, who finished 31st in the 2013 edition.

Having captured her first major international championship crown at the European cross country Championships in Samokov last month after a 3am arrival in Bulgaria on race day and a fierce battle with team-mate and NCAA champion Kate Avery, Steel – the bronze medallist in her international breakthrough in 2011, and silver medallist two years ago – lead the British to team gold and recalled:

“The duel with Kate was a bit of a surprise – we had the race to ourselves and neither of us were giving an inch. I was glad I walked the course twice as every step counted and I couldn’t afford to put a foot wrong.

“It was just pure determination at the end and the sprint was timed perfectly. My tactics were to sprint from behind as I’ve learned rather painfully from past experience that it’s easier to win from there.”

‘Huge step forward’

Fresh from celebrating the turn of the year with another triumph – on this occasion, at the San Silvestre Vallecana Internacional in Madrid on New Year’s Eve to record her third-fastest 10km time with 31:52 in a race with snow foam culminating in the Real Madrid football stadium – Steel admitted it was nice to remove the pressure of expectation before focussing on the important year ahead.

Guided by John Nuttall, the head athletics coach at Doha’s ASPIRE Academy in Qatar and the 1994 Commonwealth Games 5,000m bronze medallist, and watched over by 1994 Commonwealth 5,000m champion Rob Denmark, the head endurance coach at their National Performance Institute base in Loughborough, Steel trains alongside world steeplechase finalist Eilish McColgan and mixes her sessions between the track, hills and cricket pitch.

With her 80-85 miles per week completed at a pace no slower than six minutes per mile, it is little wonder that Steel has made huge strides in recent times.

Seventh in the 2012 IAAF World half marathon Championships, Steel has enjoyed an outstanding twelve months where she shot to ninth and eleventh position on the 2014 world list for 10km and the half marathon, respectively.

Clocking a swift 31:27 lifetime best in the Beach to Beacon 10k in Cape Elizabeth in August, Steel also took the scalp of 2011 world cross country bronze medallist Shalane Flanagan in a tight finish which also earned her the honour of the years’ fastest non-African.

She finished 2014 behind ten Kenyan athletes in the half marathon rankings after returning from her training spell in Portland, Oregon to claim her position as third-quickest Briton of all time and replicate her 10km spot – both behind marathon world record holder, Paula Radcliffe and 1991 world 10,000m champion Liz McColgan – courtesy of a superb 68:13 personal best for the runner-up position behind 2009 world half marathon champion, Mary Keitany in September’s BUPA Great North Run.

“Beach to Beacon was amazing – it has a special place in my heart as it was my breakthrough race on the world stage in 2013 with second place and I topped that this year by running a PB and beating Shalane on home soil – it was a huge confidence boost,” explained Steel.

“The Great North Run was also a huge step forward as it is such an iconic race and I never dreamed I’d one day finish runner up.”

With additional highlights featuring second place finishes behind two-time Olympic and three-time world 10,000m champion, Tirunesh Dibaba in May’s BUPA Great Manchester Run and in the BUPA Great South Run in October behind world 10,000m bronze medallist, Belaynesh Oljira with a strong 52:42 10-mile performance, 2014 was certainly a year for Steel to fondly remember.

‘Earned their respect’

In an otherwise impressive year, Steel endured only one major setback – a torn calf during the New York City half marathon back in March, which prevented her from making her marathon debut on the streets of London the following month.

It was an experience which she claims taught her to take nothing for granted and a reminder that even at her best, she is not indestructible.

With passions such as writing and illustrating children’s books and enjoying karaoke sessions with her twin sister as healthy distractions, Steel is adamant that she will make her eagerly-anticipated step up to the 26.2 mile distance purely on her own terms:

“I need to be fully prepared and ready for that challenge so an autumn marathon would suit better than London,” she insisted.

“Running London on my debut adds pressure on my performance that I don’t want for my first marathon so either Amsterdam or Berlin would be favourite if I decide to debut this year.”

It is evident that the renewed conviction and powerful determination derived from her recent successes is the reason behind Steel’s eye-catching progress, which will undoubtedly stand her in excellent stead in Guiyang, Beijing and beyond.

“I want to be the best and I love being fearless. I used to have too much respect for my rivals and now I feel I’ve earned their respect and am starting to see myself as less of the underdog, which has been hard to come to terms with,” she revealed.

“I’m gradually getting rid of the ‘club runner who came good’ tag and seeing myself as a genuine world class athlete now.”