Turland established herself among Australia's elite runners in 1994. First she won the Sydney Half Marathon, beating Commonwealth Games medallist Tani Ruckle and gaining sponsorship from Puma as a result. She then went on to take the national title over the half marathon distance. This brought her international selection for the first time and she managed to finish 49th out of 88 runners at the 1994 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships (second among Australians, behind Susan Mahony). She returned to the City to Surf race in August and topped the podium. She competed in races in Asia, Europe and North America the following year and by the time she entered the 1996 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships she was a much improved runner. There, she finished in a time of 72:46 minutes for ninth place (later upgraded to eighth due to Cristina Burca's doping ban). She also won both the Australian half marathon title and City to Surf for a second time in 1996.