Lefebvre Achieves 'Faster in 40s' Goal with World Championship Silver Medal

At the 2025 IFSS World Championships and World Masters Dryland in Minocqua, Wisconsin, Sylvain Lefebvre delivered a performance that validates years of dedicated training. Representing Mexico and competing under the governance of the Federación Mexicana de Dryland Canino (FEMEDCAN), Lefebvre secured second place in the Canicross Masters 40 category with a combined time of 23:49.7 across two heats.

The championship, held October 21-26 at Minocqua Winter Park, marked the first time the IFSS Dryland World Championships took place in the United States. Lefebvre finished 51.9 seconds behind winner Sébastien Dion of Canada, completing the 3.7-kilometer course with consistent splits of 11:58.4 and 11:51.3.

His stated objective is unambiguous: "To be faster in my 40's than I was in my 20's." This silver medal at a world championship provides measurable evidence he's achieving that goal.

Competing at the Highest Level

Canicross requires precise synchronization between human and canine. An athlete runs cross-country connected via harness and bungee line to a pulling dog. Success demands not only endurance and speed from the runner but also the training, welfare, and partnership with the animal athlete.

The Masters 40 category, open to competitors aged 40 and above, brought together experienced athletes who have maintained and refined their competitive capabilities over decades. Lefebvre's performance places him among the world's elite masters canicross competitors at a championship that drew international participants across multiple continents.

Most endurance sports show measurable performance decline as athletes progress past their late twenties and early thirties. Lefebvre's world championship silver directly counters this pattern. The result demonstrates that strategic training, intelligent preparation, and sustained commitment can not only mitigate age-related decline but potentially reverse it.

Representation and Excellence

Lefebvre's achievement brings distinction to Mexico's developing dryland mushing community. Competing for a nation without traditional winter sport infrastructure, his second-place finish at a world championship proves that geographic and resource constraints don't determine competitive ceiling.

For masters athletes globally, Lefebvre's result provides concrete evidence that peak performance isn't exclusively the domain of younger competitors. By publicly pursuing and achieving the goal of surpassing his younger self's capabilities, he establishes a documented model. This isn't theoretical—it's a specific result, earned at a specific championship, with verifiable data.

The silver medal at the 2025 IFSS World Championships stands as proof: for some athletes, the timeline for peak performance is a story they write themselves, regardless of decade.