10 Talented Mountain Runners Selected for 2025 World Mountain & Trail Championships

Athletics NZ is pleased to announce that ten Mountain Running athletes have been initially selected to represent New Zealand at the 2025 World Mountain and Trail World Championships.

Alongside these initial selections, four non travelling reserve athletes have also been named.

The 2025 World Mountain and Trail World Championships are set to be held in the town of Canfranc-Pirineos, Spain on 25-28 September 2025. The town is nestled in a valley in the north-east of Spain, close to the French border. Surrounded by the iconic Pyrenees mountain range, the Spanish town is set to be a challenging and visually stunning host for the 2025 event.  

Around 1700 athletes from 70 countries are expected to compete in Canfranc-Pirineos in 2025. The race programme will feature uphill mountain running, classic up and down mountain running, short trail, long trail and U20 classic up and down mountain events.

“We’re incredibly proud of the team selected for the 2025 World Mountain Running Championships,” said Cam Mitchell, CEO of Athletics New Zealand. “We know they’ll represent New Zealand with strength and determination on the world stage. We’re excited to see them take on the challenging Pyrenees terrain and showcase the growth and development of New Zealand mountain running.”

The ten Mountain running athletes are:

Senior Women:

• Lisa Cross – TTT Running – Coach John Bowden
• Sarah Douglas – Queenstown Athletics Club – Coach Jono Wyatt
• Maia Flint – VUW Athletics – Coach James Kuegler
• Andrea Peat – Wellington Harrier and Athletic Club – Self- Coached

Non-Travelling reserves:

• Penny Mouat – University of Canterbury – Coach Rainer Pye
• Miriam Clarke – University of Canterbury -Coach Jono Wyatt
• Jessie Speedy – North Harbour Bays – Coach Paul Hamblyn

Senior Men:

• Eric Speakman – Victoria University Club – Coach Craig Kirkwood
• Michael Sutton – Athletics Tauranga – Coach John Bowden
• Toby Batchelor – Pakuranga Athletic Club – Coach Lindsay Dey
• Benjamin Rickerby – Auckland City Athletics Club – Coach Vaughn Craddock

Non-Travelling Reserve:

• Dougal Shepherd – Athletics Nelson – Self Coached

Junior Woman:

• Jessica McNeilly – Nelson Athletics – Coach Sarah Biss
• Bridie Restieaux – University of Canterbury – Coach Maria Hassan

Each of the athletes bring with them significant experience and achievements over the Mountain and Trail events with six athletes having competed in last year’s world championships in Innsbruck, Austria.

We wish them all the best for the rest of their preparations in the lead up to the championships, and we are looking forward to seeing what they can do in Spain.

The final selections will be made in April 2025 after Athletics NZ Championships in Long Trail, Short Trail and Uphill Mountain have been completed.