Four Fiordlanders are Spain-bound for the 2025 World Mountain & Trail Running Championships held at the end of September in Canfranc, Spain.

Veteran runner Dwight Grieve will represent New Zealand in the 45km Short Trail (3650m vertical gain) while internationally experienced Sagar Khemani will once again represent India in the 14km Mountain Classic.

And for the first time 19-year-old Lucas Huia will represent New Zealand in the Junior Team competing in the 8km Trail (with 397 meters of elevation gain).

Te Anau's Shaun Cantwell, who coaches the Fiordland athletics, will once again be the New Zealand Team's coach.

Fiordland's Lucas Huia, a member of the 2025 NZ Junior Team, will compete in the World Mountain & Trail Running Championships 8km Trail. Photo: Supplied

The event is a combination of the world Trail Running and Mountain Running Associations teaming up with World Athletics.

Both groups had grown in popularity to such an extent World Athletics got on board and helped them combine into a single World Champs held every second year. They are pushing to have it included at the next Olympics.

The 2025 World Champs has 2000 entries from over 80 countries competing. New Zealand team has 35 members, including 30 seniors and 5 juniors (under 20). The selection was based on performance in a series of qualifying races.

Coach Shaun Cantwell loves to see New Zealand do well on the international scene and working with people who are motivated and committed.

“Someone said that by the end of the year there’d be seven international competitors in Te Anau. I am very pleased with that,” the New Zealand team coach said.

“The interest in these events is growing fast worldwide, with good TV coverage from helicopters and drones, and the level internationally and domestically is rising fast,” he said.

Teenager Lucas Huia was on the reserve for the intake for the New Zealand Navy to start on 25 August, but he continued training for the World Champs and later received confirmation that he’s been accepted for the January 2026 intake, so he’s free to join the team on the trip to Spain.

Dwight Grieve is very excited to be selected again, 48 years old now and very happy to still be going strong enough to be selected for an international event.

“I’m very proud to wear the silver fern and represent New Zealand, Southland, Fiordland and my family."

"Getting selected for this event is my greatest achievement in running. Growing interest and level of competition makes it harder to qualify for these teams."

"This is the third time I’ve been selected and it is going to be special as this time we now get to wear the full NZ black singlet."

"To be part of this event has left me with a sense of self fulfilment, a contentment that I am still ‘there’ to make my third World Champs,” Grieves said.

Sagar Khemani, representing India, competing at the last World Games. Photo: Supplied

“Two years ago the event was in Innsbruck in Austria and I was lucky enough to go with my training buddy Sagar Khemani who was in the Indian team, I was at a point of contemplating retiring from competitive running."

"As I get older, it is harder to stay at the top of my game."

"After Sagar’s race in Austria we both sat in a park on a grassy area in the sun and enjoyed our first drink for months and Sagar convinced me to join him in working together to qualify for the 2025 champs in Spain."

"I agreed and everything I have done since then has been focused on getting there,” Grieve said.

The World Champs has 4 events, 2 mountain races (a straight up and down) and 2 trail races (Short and Long Trail).

Grieves targeted the Short Trail which is 45km in length and 3700m vertical gain and descent - close to running up Mount Cook and back down again.

“Preparation is huge. I train 7 days a week and often twice a day, most training weeks have been between 110 to 130km a week, with 3 strength sessions, cycling and lots of stretching sessions."

"Normally I get up early to exercise and stretch and train in the evening, sometimes by headlamp."

"However, the mastermind of the whole operation is coach Shaun Cantwell."

"His amazing skills and knowledge are the only reason I ever made it to this level and that I can continue doing what I love."

"People don't see the hours he puts in researching and standing in the cold rain watching us train,” Grieves says.

Coach, Shaun Cantwell and his wife, Jude are leaving New Zealand for Spain on 6 September, while the rest of the team will join them on 15 September with time to acclimatise and train before the races start on 24 September.

New Zealand Team coach, and Te Anau local, Shaun Cantwell will be responsible for 35 athletics at this year's World Championships. Photo: Supplied

The trip is self-funded and the cost, including airfares is about $6000 per person.

You can support the team by purchasing raffle tickets or a donation through the givealittle page: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/help-sagar-get-to-the-world-mountain-and-trail.

Raffle tickets are still available, to be drawn on the 1st of Sept.

The grand prize is a Private Milford Sound Boat Charter donated by Cruise Milford, worth over $6,500, and lots of other prizes.

Tickets are $10 each or $20 for 3, available from Dwight Grieve, Shaun Cantwell, Sagar Khemani or email [email protected].