Tasman Charteris-Wright placed second out of a total of 39 women at the Xterra Trail Run World Championships — a 44km race with 1685m of elevation held in Wales last month.
She was awarded a trophy and €1000 ($NZ1955).
The 23-year-old former Bayfield High School student said she had "hoped and dreamed" about placing highly, but had never expected to finish in second place.
"It never really settled in properly until afterwards.
"I was lowering my expectations that I would do well."
She also placed first in her age category at the event.
While Ms Charteris-Wright said she had only been trail running for about two years, and competing for one, she had already placed within the top three at other competitions earlier in the year.
She placed first in her division at the Xterra Wellington Festival, and second in her age categories at both the 2025 Selwyn Half Marathon Run and 2025 Meridian Hydro Half Marathon.
Competing in Wales was exciting, but the amount of sun exposure and keeping hydrated had proven challenging, she said.
Temperatures reached about 30°C.
"It was definitely a hot one," she said.
"I think I got myself a bit of heat exhaustion."
