Altitude training locations

Iten, Kenya.

Boulder

Boulder and Falls creek are the same altitude. Then you have Iten, Flagstaf and Mammoth lake that are on the high range. Going higher than these is unadvisable I think.

In between those you could put Sankt-Moritz, Belfast (south africa).

Then it depends a bit what you want for the training. The higher you go the least fast you will be able to train.

My personal advice is go to Iten. Nothing quite like it.

Cheers

If you don’t mind the cold in January and snow if you head higher up on trail runs, come to New Mexico.

The Sandia mountain range that borders Albuquerque from the east tops out at ~10,800 feet high. The western slopes rarely get snow except toward the top, and you can run the La Luz trail there (rated in the top 10 toughest in the US). Contrary to what most sites will tell you, it IS entirely runnable year round, as long as you don’t mind running the last 3 miles in snow (if it did snow, which - again - is pretty rare: you’re in the desert; also the snow is very dry when it does come).

The eastern slopes have fantastic trail runs. More snow here on average, though nothing like in Utah or Colorado at comparable elevations. This season it’s snow exactly once out here so far. There’s also a paved road all the way to the peak.

If you’re not a trail runner, you can run in the city, where it’s dry, and the elevation varies from about 5,400 ft at the Rio Grande valley to about 6,500 along the foothills. If it snows, 95% of the time it’ll be bone dry by 11am. NM is the sunniest state in the country.

Thanks for the great replies! Appreciate it.

Is there anywhere to sleep at Falls Creek?

The trick is for sea level athletes to go to altitude to do speed work, thus their leg turnover is not harmed.

I think there is a big lodge kind of place, it's the main training camp site for the Australian national team so there are beds and stuff.

Would I want to follow the High-low protocol (coming down for speedwork), or is High-high good too?

There is a good deal of variation on what is "high enough", but 5300 feet is probably not going to give too many people the boost you are looking for at least physiologically.

Subway Surfers Addiction wrote:

Is there anywhere to sleep at Falls Creek?

The trick is for sea level athletes to go to altitude to do speed work, thus their leg turnover is not harmed.

Ummmm,,,no leg speed is reduced at altitude.

The "trick" really is to live high and train low. See Levine and Stray-Gunderson.

Luv2Run wrote:

Subway Surfers Addiction wrote:

Is there anywhere to sleep at Falls Creek?

The trick is for sea level athletes to go to altitude to do speed work, thus their leg turnover is not harmed.

Ummmm,,,no leg speed is reduced at altitude.↔over longer distances it is.

The "trick" really is to live high and train low. See Levine and Stray-Gunderson.

This is correct from what we know. But the evidence over many years is that when sea level athletes go to altitude for base building they are slower and sluggish, Hence the live high train low, but the elites I know do their final sharpening phase at altitude (eg Flagstaff).

Santa Fe

Ouarzazate

The best use of altitude is to live high/train low and flagstaff is the best for this plan.

Most elite runners chose this option due to the quick drive to lower elevation. You can get from flagstaff to Sedona in about 35 minutes and I’m pretty sure Sedona is about 4500-5000 ft.

Live in flag and maybe do some of your easier runs up there while getting all of your quality work done in warmer/lower sedona. You’re welcome

I personally like Mt. McKinley.

Altitude Andy wrote:

I personally like Mt. McKinley.

It is officially named Denali now. Never should have been renamed McKinley in the first place.

voice from the Final Frontier wrote:

Altitude Andy wrote:

I personally like Mt. McKinley.

It is officially named Denali now. Never should have been renamed McKinley in the first place.

Why is that? ? It's always McKinley to me...so there!

I hear Haiti is great for training this time of year.