Ascending to the highest heights is the whole job for the 11 mountain running athletes added to Athletics Canada’s team at the 2025 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships this Fall.
Joining Team Canada today are Daniel Heschuk, Jordan Guenette, Emma Cooke-Clarke, Elisa Morin, Loucas Céré, William Lebel, Robin Lefebvre, Zoey Crosby, Christopher Levesque-Savard, Samuel Poher, and Genevieve Lalonde.
This group joins the athletes announced in June to complete Team Canada at the event, which brings together the world’s fastest athletes in one of the most gruelling events in the sport of athletics.
“We are sending a strong, talented and motivated group of athletes to represent Canada at the 2025 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships,” said Chris Winter, Team Leader for Team Canada and Athletics Canada’s Director of Domestic Programs and Safe Sport. “This team has a mix of Worlds veterans and motivated athletes racing at Worlds for the first time. Together, this squad represents the strongest team we have ever assembled for Worlds and racing fans can expect a great showing from Team Canada.”
Meet Team Canada
The Canadian contingent will look to build off their performances at the last World Mountain and Trail Championships, held in 2023 in Innsbruck, Austria. Fourteen members of that squad return for the 2025 edition in Spain this September.
| Athlete | Event | Hometown | Club | Coach |
| Alexandre Ricard* | Men’s Vertical, Men’s Short Trail Race | Squamish, BC | Unattached | N/A |
| Anne-Marie Comeau* | Women’s Vertical, Women’s Classic Up & Down | St-Ferreol-les-Neiges, QC | Unattached | Reid Coolsaet |
| Brandon Miller* | Men’s Long Trail Race | Calgary, AB | Unattached | David Roche |
| Brendan Morden | Men’s Short Trail Race | Coquitlam, BC | Unattached | N/A |
| Caitlin Schindel | Women’s Long Trail Race | Saskatoon, SK | Coolsaet Go | Krista DuChene |
| Carol-Ann Rolle | Women’s Short Trail Race | Chilliwack, BC | Unattached | Tyler Fox |
| Chris Balestrini* | Men’s Long Trail Race | London, ON | Penticton Pounders | N/A |
| Christian Meier* | Men’s Long Trail Race | Knightville, NB | Unattached | N/A |
| Christopher Levesque-Savard | Men’s Classic Up & Down | Les Méchins, QC | Unattached | Emmanuel Joncas |
| Claudine Soucie | Women’s Classic Up & Down | Gatineau, QC | Unattached | N/A |
| Daniel Heschuk | Men’s Vertical, Men’s Classic Up & Down | Neepawa, MB | Bison Athletics Club | Claude Berube |
| Dany Racine | Men’s Short Trail Race | Victoriaville, QC | Club Citius | N/A |
| Elisa Morin | Women’s Vertical, Women’s Classic Up & Down | Quebec City, QC | Club 3D | Dorys Langlois |
| Elliot Cardin | Men’s Long Trail Race | Shefford, QC | Unattached | N/A |
| Emma Cook-Clarke | Women’s Vertical | Canmore, AB | Unattached | Sam Naney |
| Geneviève Asselin-Demers* | Women’s Long Trail Race | Montréal, QC | Unattached | Paul Audet |
| Geneviève Lalonde | Women’s Classic Up & Down | Victoria, BC | Unattached | Hilary Stellingwerff |
| Jade Belzberg* | Women’s Short Trail Race, Women’s Vertical | Fort Langley, BC | Unattached | Megan Roche |
| Jazmine Lowther | Women’s Long Trail Race | Nelson, BC | Unattached | N/A |
| Jean-Philippe Thibodeau* | Men’s Long Trail Race | St-Ferreol-les-Neiges, QC | Unattached | Reid Coolsaet |
| Jordan Guenette | Men’s Vertical | West Vancouver, BC | Unattached | N/A |
| Joshua Potvin* | Men’s Short Trail Race | North Vancouver, BC | Mile2Marathon | Dylan Wykes |
| Kalie McCrystal* | Women’s Short Trail Race | Squamish, BC | Unattached | N/A |
| Laurie Proulx | Women’s Short Trail Race | St-Ferreol-les-Neiges, QC | Unattached | Charles Castonguay |
| Loucas Céré | U20 Men’s Classic Up & Down | Warwick, QC | Club Citius | Dany Racine |
| Marc Fawcett-Atkinson | Men’s Short Trail Race | Vancouver, BC | Unattached | Mac Macintosh |
| Marcus Ribi* | Men’s Long Trail Race | Vancouver, BC | Unattached | N/A |
| Maxime Corbeil | U20 Men’s Classic Up & Down | Victoriaville, QC | Club Citius | Dany Racine |
| Mylene Sansoucy* | Women’s Long Trail Race | Quebec City, QC | Unattached | N/A |
| Nicole Lacis | Women’s Short Trail Race | Burnaby, BC | Unattached | Hannah Allgood |
| Remi Leroux* | Men’s Vertical, Men’s Classic Up & Down | Waterloo, QC | Unattached | N/A |
| Robin Lefebvre | U20 Men’s Classic Up & Down | Montreal, QC | Élite Distance Athlétique Club | Ashraf Tadili |
| Robyn Mildren | Women’s Long Trail Race | Hamilton, ON | Unattached | David Roche |
| Samuel Hendry* | Men’s Short Trail Race | Canmore, AB | Unattached | N/A |
| Samuel Poher* | Men’s Classic Up & Down | Les Escoumins, QC | Club 3D | Dorys Langlois |
| Sara Bergen | Women’s Long Trail Race | Squamish, BC | Unattached | Alex Ricard |
| Stephanie Ryall | Women’s Short Trail Race | Ottawa, ON | Mile2Marathon | Dylan Wykes |
| William Lebel | U20 Men’s Classic Up & Down | Victoriaville, QC | Club Citius | Dany Racine |
| Zoey Crosby | U20 Women’s Classic Up & Down | Revelstoke, BC | Unattached | Paul Laursen |
*Returning from 2023 World Mountain & Trail Running Championships team
| Team Staff | ||
| Chris Winter | Team Leader (Non-Travelling) | Vancouver, BC |
| Adrian Lambert | Team Coach | Edmonton, AB |
| Bernadette Benson | Team Coach | Bright, Australia |
| Sue Lambert | Team Manager | Edmonton, AB |
| Kevin Montgomery | Team IST | Toronto, ON |
Familiar Face in a New Place
One of the athletes making their World Mountain and Trail Running Championships debut is no stranger to international competition, but you may be more accustomed to seeing her on the track or cross country course.
Geneviève Lalonde is a two-time Olympian, competing in the 3,000 metre steeplechase at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics. She is also a two-time Pan American Games medallist in the event, winning gold in 2019 and bronze four years earlier at Toronto 2015.
Now she will take to the trails on the world stage, competing in the Women’s Classic Up & Down event at Worlds.
“I’ve always loved running in the trails, my coaches have always encouraged us to try different types of running. While living out west the trails are a bit more readily accessible. I kind of stumbled into racing and now it is honestly just a passion project that I get to do with my family,” Lalonde said. “I think I consider trail running like the grown up version of the steeple and cross-country. Those disciplines are fast-paced, explosive and technical. They have helped me prepare for these next competitions, now I just need to work on my fueling.”
With her first World Mountain and Trail Running Championships ahead of her, Lalonde is getting ready to take it all in and take the next step.
“My goal this year has just been to get back into international calibre racing. So far it has been more than enjoyable. I hope to have a solid preparation heading into it, to be competitive on race day,” said Lalonde. “I expect to have a great experience, and learn from some of the other Canadian team members and gain experience at the international World Mountain and Trail Running Championships.”
Canfranc-Pirineos 2025
The 2025 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships take place in Canfranc-Pirineos, Spain September 25 to 28.
Located in the majestic and historic Pyrenees, Canadian athletes will face off against the world’s best mountain and trail runners, as well as the daunting condition of one of Europe’s largest mountain ranges.
Around 1700 athletes from 70 countries are expected to compete this fall in Canfranc-Pirineos.
The race program includes uphill mountain running, classic up-and-down mountain running, short trail, long trail and U20 classic up-and-down events, spread over four days of racing.