Following over eight years of first-place female finishes in races around Arizona, Sedona 30-year-old Tanaya Gallagher took the next step toward another eight-year goal April 2 with her first overall 10K win in Cottonwood on April 2.

“Success has so many layers,” Gallagher said after finishing the six-plus-mile Loven Family Run in less than 37 minutes at Dead Horse Ranch State Park. “Appreciating the journey, all of the time and lessons along the path, has allowed me to appreciate this amazing time in my life.

“It has come with many ups and downs, injuries [and] self-doubt, but even those things taught me lessons and have ultimately made me stronger.”

Although she fell less than two minutes short of qualifying Jan. 17 at the Arizona Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon, Gallagher’s ultimate goal remains the same — the Olympic marathon trials.

“Trying to qualify for the trials takes a tremendous amount of time, patience and tenacity,” she said after winning the women’s marathon for the first time in 2:46.44. “Though I missed my overall goal … I am hopeful to qualify for the 2020 trials.”

Her wins April 2 and Jan. 17 set new personal records, which she has accomplished in every distance she has run with her team, the Sonoran Distance Project, in the past year.

“We are a group of women with an amazing coach all trying to qualify for the trials,” she said. “My team helps me through success and shortcomings and helps me see the value in all of the work when I start to feel overwhelmed or exhausted from training.”

Gallagher, a massage therapist, has also practiced yoga for a decade and now teaches it, along with sound-healing therapy sessions.

“I had a severe eating disorder for many years, which is not uncommon in female runners, and yoga is what helped me heal myself,” she said. “I began meditating daily in February of last year.

“I feel that meditation is part of why I am making so much progress in my performance at the moment. My meditation practice has allowed me to become more disciplined about my running and more clear about what my goals are.”

As far back as May 2008, and as far away as Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Gallagher has won women’s marathons. Her 16-year-old debut was far less auspicious, however, placing sixth in a women’s 5K in North Bend, Wash.

“The first time I remember going for a run and loving it was when I was in seventh grade,” she said. “I had a lot of anxiety as a young person and found that running made me feel empowered and able to address my anxiety in a healthy way.”

She has run ever since, becoming the fastest female graduate of Tucson’s Catalina Foothills High School, and will next race Saturday, April 23, at Pat’s Run in Tempe.

“I am also deeply blessed to be supported by my amazing grandmother, Nancy, and husband, Joshua [Esquivel], and his entire family,” she said. “I would say, to any young athlete or anyone with a really demanding goal, to always stay true to yourself and your dreams.”