Natasha Cockram in Commonwealth hope after Cardiff Half win

Cockram, from Cwmbran, stormed to victory in the capital on Sunday in 1:10:47, beating her previous record by two minutes.

Before the race, the 28-year-old said representing her country at the Commonwealth Games was "something I’ve always wanted to do ever since I started running".

The next edition of the Games will be held in Birmingham this summer, and Cockram will be confident her performance in Cardiff will boost her chances of making the Welsh team.

Natasha Cockram contemplates her Cardiff Half Marathon win in 1:10:47. Photo: Huw Evans Picture Agency

The team has not yet been selected by Team Wales but she has achieved the A standard.

"If I’m selected, it will be my first Commonwealth Games – I just missed out on the Coast in 2018 as I’d only just started running the marathon event and I wasn’t quite there performance-wise," she said to our sister publication, The National. "I’ve just switched coach too so it’s going to be really important in terms of how I benchmark where I’m at.

"Basically, everything this year is geared towards the Commonwealth Games."

Natasha Cockram running the Cardiff Half Marathon. Picture: Huw Evans Picture Agency

The former pupil from Croesyceiliog went on to study at Tulsa University in Oklahoma. But a knee injury forced her to stop running altogether.

“I took a six week job at a stables and ended up staying there for 12 months. I’d ride for anyone and everyone, competing in dressage, showjumping and evening in regional events," she said.

“The riding actually helped my recovery. I’ve stopped now to focus on the running but I do really miss it. But the dream is to compete for Wales at a Commonwealth Games. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do ever since I started running at the age of 11.”