The mountains are calling, and Group Canada is able to climb. Athletics Canada has formally introduced the primary 28 athletes who will signify Canada on the 2025 World Mountain and Path Working Championships in Canfranc-Pirineos, Spain, in September. With acquainted faces and rising stars on the roster, the crew seems to be poised for a robust displaying within the Pyrenees.
Canada’s strongest crew but
Based on Athletics Canada, that is essentially the most aggressive mountain and path crew the nation has ever assembled for the world championships. Key returners embrace Anne-Marie Comeau, who completed fifteenth within the vertical race in 2023, and Alexandre Ricard, who landed sixteenth within the mountain basic. Each will go well with up once more this yr, bringing beneficial expertise to the worldwide stage.
“I’ve huge objectives for each of the occasions I’ll be racing in, aiming for a high 10 end within the Vertical and a high 5 within the Quick Path,” mentioned Ricard. He’s excited concerning the steep, technical nature of the programs, noting that the vertical race seems to be particularly well-suited to his strengths. “I’m fortunate to have preferrred coaching terrain right here in Squamish to assist put together.”
New faces, huge ambitions
The squad additionally options contemporary expertise like Jade Belzberg, who dominated eventually yr’s Canadian Mountain Working Championships. She’ll compete in each the vertical and quick path races this fall. “I really feel grateful for the chance to race towards the perfect on the earth,” mentioned Belzberg. “It’s an unimaginable honour to signify Canada and to be becoming a member of such a powerful crew.”
On the lads’s facet, Canadian 50K file holder (on the street) Chris Balestrini and Marcus Ribi will lead the lengthy path contingent, whereas the ladies’s lengthy path squad contains acquainted names like Jazmine Lowther and Sara Bergen, each recognized for his or her grit on technical programs.
How this Canadian trail-running star prepares for races (and life)
The problem forward
The World Championships, set within the rugged Pyrenees, will take a look at Canada’s finest towards the steep climbs, sharp descents and skinny air of high-altitude mountain operating. “A number of the climbs and descents shall be fairly lengthy, and the altitude shall be a giant issue,” mentioned Group Canada’s coach Bernadette Benson. “For athletes who’ve ready effectively, the reward shall be racing by way of the beautiful, uncovered alpine terrain the Pyrenees are recognized for.”
Round 1,700 athletes from roughly 70 international locations are anticipated to race throughout 5 disciplines: uphill-only mountain operating, basic up-and-down mountain operating, quick path, lengthy path and U20 basic occasions.
The crew
Basic Up-and-Down (Ladies)
Claudine Soucie
Basic Up-and-Down (Males)
Remi Leroux
Basic Up-and-Down (U20)
Maxime Corbeil
Vertical (Ladies)
Anne-Marie Comeau
Vertical (Males)
Alexandre Ricard
Quick Path (Ladies)
Stephanie Ryall
Kalie McCrystal
Nicole Lacis
Carol-Ann Rolle
Laurie Proulx
Quick Path (Males)
Alexandre Ricard
Joshua Potvin
Samuel Hendry
Marc Fawcett-Atkinson
Dany Racine
Brendan Morden 
Lengthy Path (Ladies)
Sara Bergen
Robyn Mildren
Jazmine Lowther
Geneviève Asselin-Demers
Caitlin Schindel
Mylène Sansoucy
Lengthy Path (Males)
Marcus Ribi
Chris Balestrini
Jean-Philippe Thibodeau
Christian Meier
Brandon Miller
Elliot Cardin
Extra to return
The ultimate picks for Canada’s crew shall be introduced later this month. For now, the preliminary squad alerts a deep and versatile group, poised to tackle one of many world’s hardest mountain championships. Within the phrases of Ricard: “Competing at Worlds for the third time means rather a lot to me. Carrying the maple leaf on a world stage will all the time be an enormous honour.”
