Twell follows Radcliffe on to the road

(Getty Images)

Steph Twell, the Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, makes her debut over 10 miles at the Bupa Great South Run tomorrow, and Brendan Foster believes it could be a step to her becoming Britain's next long-distance superstar.

Twell, 21, has turned to the roads to test her ability, and race organiser Foster will be looking to see how Twell compares to Paula Radcliffe who switched from the track in the early stages of her career.

Foster, who won a 10,000 metres bronze for Britain at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, is chairman of the Great South Run, which takes place in Southsea, Portsmouth. He said: "I remember Paula after the 2000 Olympic Games coming to the Great North Run to test herself over the longer distance. She did it in brilliant style, setting a European half-marathon record, and it was the beginning of a career which saw her become the most dominant marathon runner of all time."

Discussing Twell, Foster said: "I think Sunday's race will tell us a lot about where her future will eventually lie. I'm not going to say she's going to win – it's going to be something very new to her. What I'm interested in is how she commits herself in what is a high-profile race and like 10 years ago with Paula, everyone will be watching with great interest."

Twell, who won her Delhi bronze for Scotland in the 1500m, will be up against Olympic marathon champion Constantina Dita and Commonwealth Games 10,000m gold medallist Grace Momanyi. The men's race will see world cross-country champion Joseph Ebuya aiming to break the UK all-comers' record of 45 minutes 56 seconds.