Inside the Secret Training Camps Where Triathlon Champions Are Made
As the triathlon season winds down for most, a select group of elite athletes is still in full swing, pushing their limits in unique training environments. From the high-altitude peaks of the Spanish mountains to the comfort of home garages equipped with smart trainers, these athletes are fine-tuning their performance for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Marbella and the T100 Grand Final.
These training regimens are not just about physical preparation; they are strategic endeavors that leverage location, altitude, and environmental conditions to gain every possible advantage. Let's delve into the strategies employed by some of the world's top triathletes, including Norwegian podium sweepers and Olympic medalists, and see how you can incorporate these insights into your own training.
The Science Behind Location-Based Training
Triathlon training has evolved beyond mere volume accumulation. Today's elite athletes understand that where they train can be as crucial as how they train. The environment becomes a tool for performance enhancement, not just a backdrop.
Take the Norwegian trio—Kristian Blummenfelt, Casper Stornes, and Gustav Iden—who have made the Sierra Nevada mountains their training base. After their impressive podium sweep at the Ironman World Championship in Nice, they returned to this familiar altitude to harness what Blummenfelt calls "training effect without extra volume."
Altitude training is known to boost red blood cell production and oxygen efficiency, but the benefits extend beyond physiology. The psychological impact of training in a focused, distraction-free environment is equally significant.
For age group athletes: Consider how your training environment impacts both your body and mind. Establish a consistent, dedicated space—whether it's a garage pain cave equipped with a Wahoo KICKR Core smart trainer or a reliable outdoor loop—to provide the mental clarity that elite athletes seek in their training camps.
The Altitude Advantage: Sierra Nevada's Secret Formula
At 2,320 meters (7,600 feet), the Spanish Olympic Training Center offers more than just thin air. It provides a complete ecosystem for focused preparation. Blummenfelt describes the off-season ski resort as "like a ghost town," which becomes an asset rather than a drawback. With facilities like a 50-meter pool, running track, gym, and full-board meals, athletes can concentrate entirely on their training without logistical distractions.
Strategically, the terrain mirrors the Marbella course almost perfectly. "The bike course is basically the same as the key sessions we do here," Blummenfelt notes. Each ride involves significant climbing, akin to the race profile they'll face at 70.3 Worlds.
Signature move: Their "Super Sunday" sessions combine full-course reconnaissance with race-simulation intensity. They drive to Marbella, ride the complete 70.3 route, and follow with a 12-mile run on the official race course before returning to altitude.
Takeaway for amateurs: You don't need Spanish mountains to apply this principle. Identify local terrain that mimics your target race and structure your key sessions around those specific demands. Course-specific preparation trumps generic fitness building every time. For tracking your training progress, consider using a Garmin Forerunner 55 GPS watch to monitor your performance metrics.
Home Court Advantage: When Familiar Beats Exotic
While some chase altitude or European sunshine, Paula Findlay proves that home can be the ultimate performance environment. Training in Bend, Oregon, she emphasizes controlled consistency over exotic locations.
"Even if it's fall weather, I've got everything here—treadmill, KICKR Bike, full indoor setup," Findlay explains. "I'd love to be in Europe, but I've found it's better for me to be at home."
This choice reflects a sophisticated approach to performance optimization. After a year of travel and racing, the controlled environment of Bend offers "consistency and peace of mind." She has ramped up her bike volume significantly while using indoor heat sessions to prepare for warmer conditions in Qatar.
Her workouts simulate Marbella's two-climb rhythm: steady efforts punctuated by climbs, separated by controlled descents or flat tempo sections. "It's two mountains: push hard, recover, push hard again," she says.
The insight: For Findlay, equipment consistency, nutrition familiarity, and sleep quality outweigh the potential benefits of perfect weather or exotic locations. Sometimes the best training environment is the one that eliminates variables rather than optimizing them.
For age groupers: Consider the hidden costs of training camps—jet lag, disrupted routines, unfamiliar nutrition. Sometimes your local environment, properly optimized, provides better preparation than a distant paradise. Learn more about AI-powered training apps that can help you maximize your home training setup.
The European Training Hub Strategy
Georgia Taylor-Brown illustrates another approach: leveraging an existing base to its full potential. Living year-round in Girona, Spain, she has access to endless roads, climbs, and training facilities without the disruption of relocation.
Her challenge is transitioning from short-course racing to longer, hillier demands. "I've had to pretend my road bike doesn't exist," she laughs. "I'm just trying to get settled into the TT bike again."
The Sant Hilari climb has become her signature session—a 25-30-minute ascent perfect for holding an aero position at sustained power. "It's peaceful—winding uphill under the trees. I can stay in aero position and focus on smooth pedaling."
Strategic element: Taylor-Brown uses this preparation block for both fitness and technical adaptation. Her packed race calendar meant training took a backseat to competing. Now she's rebuilding aerobic capacity while reacquiring skills specific to longer time trial efforts.
Meanwhile, in Andorra, Hanne De Vet demonstrates a hybrid approach—living at 1,300 meters with flexibility to train at various altitudes. "The good thing with Andorra is you can ride high into the mountains or drop down into Spain, where it's 500m lower and much warmer," she explains.
Key principle: Both athletes prioritize consistency over perfection, choosing sustainable bases that provide variety without constant disruption.
The Hybrid Approach: Combining Multiple Environments
Cameron Main showcases the strategic use of multiple environments for specific adaptations. His two-week block in Lanzarote focused on big stimulus training, followed by precision work back home in Loughborough.
"Lanzarote was ideal," Main explains. "Lots of hills, constant wind—you're always working, just like in Marbella." His key workout combined VO₂ max efforts up the iconic Tabayesco climb with threshold work on the flats, simulating the demands of descending into race effort under fatigue.
The Lanzarote phase served as a shock to the system—relentless climbing and wind resistance that mirrors Marbella's profile while reconditioning him for sustained effort. The return to Loughborough provided structure and precision work in familiar surroundings.
The lesson: Main used each environment for its specific strengths rather than trying to replicate race conditions exactly. Lanzarote provided stimulus; home provided refinement. For monitoring your training intensity across different environments, a heart rate monitor is essential.
The Modern Approach to Peak Performance
If there's a common thread across these diverse preparation strategies, it's that modern elite athletes no longer chase a single formula for success. Whether at altitude, indoors, or on familiar home roads, today's professionals prioritize purpose over place—every decision tied to recovery, course specificity, or controlled load management.
In an era where racing calendars stretch from March to December, the art of peaking multiple times per year requires as much restraint as work. The athletes preparing for Marbella and Qatar understand that arriving at the start line fresh, confident, and race-ready matters more than accumulating the most exotic training stamps in their passport.
The ultimate takeaway: Success comes not from copying these athletes' exact methods, but from understanding their decision-making process. Each choice—from Blummenfelt's ghost town altitude camp to Findlay's controlled home environment—serves a specific purpose in the complex puzzle of peak performance.
As you plan your next training block, ask yourself: What does my environment provide, and what do I actually need? Sometimes the best training camp is the one that eliminates variables rather than optimizing them. Sometimes the perfect preparation happens not in paradise, but in your own backyard, with the right plan and the discipline to execute it. For more insights on triathlon training drills and techniques, explore our comprehensive training guides.
