[6] She quickly progressed to international competition and came fifteenth in the junior section of the 2007 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – the best European performer in the race.

[9] In 2008 Purdue did not improve her position at the 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, ending the junior race in 16th place, but remained the top European performer.

[10] She made her senior international debut for Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 2008, running a 5 km leg of the Chiba Ekiden Relay in Japan and helping the team to seventh in the rankings.

[12] At the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, she came fourteenth in the junior race and helped the British girls to fourth in the team rankings.

[13] She secured her first international track medal at the 2009 European Athletics Junior Championships by winning the 5000 m silver in Novi Sad.

[14] She also began to prove herself in the senior ranks that year – at the national championships she took the runner-up spot in the 5000 m behind Freya Murray and came fourth at the Great Yorkshire Run in September with a 10K best of 33:07 minutes.

[25] A foot injury interrupted the start of 2012, but she returned to the Great Ireland Run in April and was runner-up to Gemma Steel.

Having recovered from injury, she returned at the Great South Run and managed third place at the ten-mile race with a time of 56:57 minutes.

[35] She competed in the women's marathon at the 2022 World Athletics Championships held in Eugene, Oregon, United States, but did not finish the race.

[38][39] Purdue withdrew from the Olympics just days before she was scheduled to race due to an ankle injury during her final practice run.