I've heard people mention this before! Def has the altitude, inspiring running locations, and some resources in a state University town. But I've also heard isn't it significantly colder and CONSTANTLY windy compared to Park City and Flagstaff? I'm all for building character and suffering through all conditions outside rather than the torture of running on the treadmill, but could that discourage even the most serious people from getting after it sometimes? or just limits your ability to really hit race-specific work well? I guess if you're going out there for a summer it wouldn't matter as much.
Limerick Ireland. Beautiful dirt trail along the Shannon, mild weather year round, famous physical therapist lives there, low cost of living. When I lived there I'd get passed by very skinny fast runners on the river trail in town to see the PT. Not sure if the PT is still there - this was many years ago.
There is nothing safe about Quito, nor is there anywhere flat to run. It sounds good on paper but isn't at all. Lots of great country roads in Tuscany if you like that. Trails around Cortina. Trails around Lake Annecy in France and of course Chamonix. Vermont has great dirt roads and hills as someone pointed out. A very beautiful and somewhat off the beaten path location would be Asturias in Northern Spain. Food, wine and lots of running.
I've heard people mention this before! Def has the altitude, inspiring running locations, and some resources in a state University town. But I've also heard isn't it significantly colder and CONSTANTLY windy compared to Park City and Flagstaff? I'm all for building character and suffering through all conditions outside rather than the torture of running on the treadmill, but could that discourage even the most serious people from getting after it sometimes? or just limits your ability to really hit race-specific work well? I guess if you're going out there for a summer it wouldn't matter as much.
It is definitely worse but not that bad, 7000' means most places are going to be windy and cold. It is very sunny and doesn't get that much snow.
Not sure what the safety factor looks like these days, but Alamosa, CO has got a pretty accessible cost of living, lots of training infrastructure with Adams State there (and potentially folks to train with), and gives you 7500' of elevation.
Buffalo or Sheridan in Wyoming. Spearfish in South Dakota.
Hear me out on this before anybody automatically rules my suggestions out.
I live in Gillette, WY. Not the prettiest place in the world, but I really enjoy living here. Buffalo, Sheridan, and Spearfish are all 60-90 minutes away and I visit them frequently.
Buffalo is in the foothills of the Big Horn Mountains. Lots of trails. Small town (about 6,000 people) so trails, dirt roads, and sidewalks/bike paths are never crowded. Beautiful place, and overall nice weather but does snow quite a bit in winter. About 4,000 feet elevation. Not a super expensive place to live. You can buy a nice house with a big backyard in town for roughly $300,000.
Sheridan is bigger (20,000 people) and busier, but arguably even prettier and with even more access to trails. Definitely more expensive though. Similar elevation. Lots of Californians moving there so tells you weather is actually pretty mild.
Spearfish is about 15,000 people and has a college in it. Their in town bike paths are quite extensive for a small town. Lots of trails. It’s nestled in the Black Hills of South Dakota, so trails in town and even more trails close by. It’s getting much more expensive to live there though. You’re only about a 30 minute drive to Sundance, WY which is a small town and has dozens of hiking and ATV trails that are never crowded and prime for running. You’re 30 minutes to Rapid City which is close to 80,000 people and has some cool stuff.
Buffalo, Sheridan, and Spearfish are all safe and filled with great spots for running. They are cheaper than most places to live. Very low to absolutely no crime. Nice high schools with surprisingly high quality tracks.
I’ll end with saying that Gillette, although not as pretty and you’d have to drive 30-60 minutes for actual trail running, is a really cheap and safe place to live. I have tons of running routes that I never have to stop at stoplights or get stuck in traffic. We have a huge rec center with 2 indoor tracks. Both high schools have great outdoor tracks. Hilly town too so that’s an added bonus for anybody who enjoys elevation change in their runs.
Overall all 4 towns mentioned in this post are actually worth checking out.
Maybe if you actually want good race results, the "best" place to train should present some challenges and other stress not on your list.
I higher cost of living can provide incentives to make sure your running provides a positive monetary benefit.
Safe is ok but a little danger and risk can provide extra stimulus and adrenaline that mimics race situations.
Access to varied training grounds is nice but you don't need much space to run on. There is value in being force by your environment to focus internally.
Heat, humidity, cold, wind can all add stress similar to altitude.
Adversity can toughen runners as long as they can adapt to it.
Great place to train in between European races given the easy transit, trails, access to track and gym but sea level and expensive so not ideal for a camp
Regarding cheap and less known places, Cuenca is probably the best spot in Ecuador. Lots of cyclists train there - safer than the bigger cities and many trails.
Sierra Nevada is a great complex, you can sleep at the track / gym facility, but not the best place to run unless you’re into trails and/or treadmills. The Norwegians train there since a large part of their double T mileage is done on treadmill/track, but if you’re looking for quality long runs and such it may be annoying to travel into Granada multiple times a week.
Font Romeu is good, but small, hilly and expensive. Most runners do their jogs around the track but there are good trails about 20 mins away by car, many athletes train there so you can probably get by without a car by making friends ;)
Dullstroom (OAC Europe’s preferred location) and Potchefstom (M11 Club) in RSA. Tiny towns with lots of trails, safer than the big cities. Medium altitude but closer to the city for Potch, high altitude in Dullstroom but more remote so longer travel.
Buffalo or Sheridan in Wyoming. Spearfish in South Dakota.
Hear me out on this before anybody automatically rules my suggestions out.
I live in Gillette, WY. Not the prettiest place in the world, but I really enjoy living here. Buffalo, Sheridan, and Spearfish are all 60-90 minutes away and I visit them frequently.
Buffalo is in the foothills of the Big Horn Mountains. Lots of trails. Small town (about 6,000 people) so trails, dirt roads, and sidewalks/bike paths are never crowded. Beautiful place, and overall nice weather but does snow quite a bit in winter. About 4,000 feet elevation. Not a super expensive place to live. You can buy a nice house with a big backyard in town for roughly $300,000.
Sheridan is bigger (20,000 people) and busier, but arguably even prettier and with even more access to trails. Definitely more expensive though. Similar elevation. Lots of Californians moving there so tells you weather is actually pretty mild.
Spearfish is about 15,000 people and has a college in it. Their in town bike paths are quite extensive for a small town. Lots of trails. It’s nestled in the Black Hills of South Dakota, so trails in town and even more trails close by. It’s getting much more expensive to live there though. You’re only about a 30 minute drive to Sundance, WY which is a small town and has dozens of hiking and ATV trails that are never crowded and prime for running. You’re 30 minutes to Rapid City which is close to 80,000 people and has some cool stuff.
Buffalo, Sheridan, and Spearfish are all safe and filled with great spots for running. They are cheaper than most places to live. Very low to absolutely no crime. Nice high schools with surprisingly high quality tracks.
I’ll end with saying that Gillette, although not as pretty and you’d have to drive 30-60 minutes for actual trail running, is a really cheap and safe place to live. I have tons of running routes that I never have to stop at stoplights or get stuck in traffic. We have a huge rec center with 2 indoor tracks. Both high schools have great outdoor tracks. Hilly town too so that’s an added bonus for anybody who enjoys elevation change in their runs.
Overall all 4 towns mentioned in this post are actually worth checking out.
I drove that road from Worland east past Ten Sleep then up and over the mountains and back down into Buffalo. Beautiful country and I just
thought - if I were young again I'd go there to dedicate myself to training for awhile. Buffalo town pretty small I would probably want to locate myself in Sheridan.
Canberra, Australia - great quality of life, plenty of trails close to the city, track and cross country facilities, 2.5 hours away from Perisher for easy access to altitude camps.