To be the best, you've got to beat the best. And in order to beat the best, you've got to be competing against the globe's very best.
But that's not always viable for many of our budding track and field athletes.
"I remember being young, going overseas and calculating how well I had to do at every competition to make that competition block worthwhile and just break even," said Olympic high jumper Hamish Kerr.
"It's a tough place to be and use a lot of energy worrying about it."
Which is why Kerr and Christchurch stable-mate Tom Walsh have founded the Aotearoa Athletics Trust - an independent, athlete-led initiative to help more of New Zealand's track and field athletes compete on the world stage.
Watch: Heart-warming reason top athletes are giving back to the sports they love, on TVNZ+
"Traditional funding models don't support the group of athletes we're trying to support, that step between juniors and trying to get to the senior ranks," said Walsh.
"They have to go to Europe to qualify for World Championships, Commonwealth Games, Olympic Games and that's costly, and it's where we see the Trust coming in, supporting them to make that next step."
Hamish Kerr and Tom Walsh have recently founded the Aotearoa Athletics Trust to help bridge a funding gap for up-and-coming track and field athletes. (Source: 1News)
The Trust aims to bridge a funding gap for those competing at a level High Performance Sport doesn't have the scope to cover.
Relying on donations, they'll then award athletes grants to allow them to do up to eight-week training blocks abroad.
"It's important to note we've got skin in the game, both Hamish and I have donated to the cause because we believe its a good cause to donate to," said Walsh.
Already, they've been able to award four grants - of which three of them are competing in the upcoming Athletics World Championships.
"We're in such an exciting time in the history of athletics in our country - record team numbers, medallists and medal prospects in multiple categories. If people want to be more involved with that and get a deep sense of connection to what we're doing everyday, this is the opportunity," said Kerr, a gold medal winner at the Paris Olympics.
For Christchurch shotputter Nick Palmer, who'll be on debut, the support has been "a game changer".
"You kind of constantly weigh up how much you can give to your personal life, how much you can give to sport - especially financially. That sacrifice everyone makes around me to allow me to do it (throw) is a massive burden.
"So any support like this is awesome, especially coming from within the sport which is amazing," said Palmer.
But for the founding duo, it's a way they can continue to give back to a sport they love. As well as financial support, the Trust will be an avenue for alumni to connect - through fundraising and mentoring activities and other unique events.
"People can come back and reconnect with old friends, reconnect with athletics, meet the current athletes and build up a community that supports each other," said Walsh.
For those interested in finding out more, or donating to the Trust – details can be found at www.aotearoaathleticstrust.com
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