Running Her Own Path: Julia Chamberlain Joins NZ Trail Running Greats

Julia recently represented New Zealand at the 2025 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Canfranc, Spain, tackling one of the most unforgiving events on the global stage: the Long Trail race, an 80-kilometre course with over 5,000 metres of brutal climbing and descending. Against the world’s elite mountain runners, she finished 64th overall, securing her title as the top-placed Kiwi in the long trail category.

Julia based herself in Europe ahead of the race, scouting the course, fine-tuning her nutrition strategy, and building strength on the continent’s steep alpine terrain. Qualifying for the event twice, Julia earned selection for both the short-course and long-course teams, thanks to a powerhouse series of performances in New Zealand. At the 2024 Backyard Ultra, she beat the New Zealand women’s record, completing 51 laps. 

You can follow Julia’s incredible success here: https://www.instagram.com/juchamberlain/p/DPLfjAqiP9t/ and read more about what motivates her here https://trailrunningnz.substack.com/p/world-champs-julia-chamberlain