Altitude Training Locations

Many people have been asking about the best place for altitude training for endurance runners. The ideal location is not just one, but a combination of different heights that will prepare you for your race. The height you train at should depend on the type of work you will be doing. If you are further away from racing, the higher the altitude should be to get maximum aerobic benefits without affecting the quality of your sessions. As you get closer to racing, the altitude should be lower so that it doesn't negatively impact your training quality. Here are some locations I recommend:

November-December:

• Iten, Kenya: 2450m, with lots of dirt trails and access to synthetic and dirt tracks. Can be a bit wet during the tail end of the rainy season. A small village that is 60 minutes drive from Eldoret.
• Dullstroom, South Africa: 2100m, with limited trails and a grass track about 45 minutes drive away. A lovely town with great restaurants, about 3 hours drive from Johannesburg airport.
• Font Romeu, France: 1800m, with some good trails just 10 minutes drive out of town, a good running area at 1400m at the lake which is 30 minutes drive away, a synthetic track, and a very good gym. A great ski town that is 2 hours drive from Barcelona. Tends to get snow during the first week of December.

January-February:

• Salulta, Ethiopia: 2800m, with a huge grass area for running in town and a forest 15 minutes drive away, access to synthetic track and gym at a nearby hotel. A 40-minute drive from Addis Ababa airport. Ideal for very experienced runners as it is high.
• Iten, Kenya: 2450m, as above, but with fantastic weather in January.
• Potchefstroom, South Africa: 1400m, with limited running in the town but great trails about 20 minutes drive away, access to synthetic and grass tracks, as well as a very good gym. A university town with lots of restaurants, great for middle distance athletes looking to get some quality work done before indoor racing.

April-May:

• Park City, USA: 2150m, with the option to stay as high as 2500m and drop down to a track at 1400m within 40 minutes, some good trails but reasonably limited. An easy transfer from Salt Lake City Airport in under an hour. Not advisable to go until May. Can be a good base for racing early in the USA.
• Flagstaff, USA: 2100m, a popular destination for runners with lots of trails for running, the option to drop down to Sedona for workouts at 1400m in about an hour, and an airport. Most people travel from Phoenix Airport in about 2.5 hours. Can be a good base for early racing in the USA.
• Font Romeu, France: 1800m, as above, but can be a little wet and sometimes gets snow in May.
• St Moritz, Switzerland: 1800m, with lots of exceptionally well-kept trails and a track at 1800m, as well as the option of dropping down to almost sea level in Italy in about 2 hours. Can be very expensive, but you can do without a car if you take the train from Zurich, and the transfer from the airport is about 3.5 hours. Can be very cold in April, best to go from May onwards.
• Ifrane, Morocco: 1600m, with a big field with 3km of running trails plus lots in the forest, a synthetic track, and limited gym options. A 4 hour drive from Casablanca airport. Ideal for middle distance types as it's a bit lower for quality work.

Summer:

• Font Romeu, France: 1800m, as above, but with fantastic weather in the summer and quick access to Barcelona Airport if using it as a base for racing.
• St Moritz, Switzerland: 1800m, as above, but with better weather. As it's on a glacier, it can snow in August! Can be tough as a base for doing a lot of racing from there, but does have the option of dropping down to sea level quickly for a session.

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