When searching for the best places for ironman training, Colombia is the answer. Practice your swimming between two islands in the Caribbean, and so much more!
Due to its great location near the Equator, within the Andean mountain range, and surrounded by two coasts, Colombia provides several training environments filled with a vast biodiversity that also act as the ideal landscapes for triathlon training. In fact, the country is adequate to provide for all outdoor sports activities due to its stable year-round weather. This is one of the reasons why Colombian cyclists can train throughout the year, and why some European sports trainers consider Colombia to be a perfect place for swimming or marathon training when the extreme summer or winter seasons make it too hard to practice anywhere else.
Whether is a marathon training or just swimming training, each competition location and date set the challenges to complete ahead of time. They may include completing a marathon above the sea level with high temperatures, or swimming in open-water channel in the north pole. For this reason, every trainee has to find the perfect location that provides the closest conditions for the real competition.
For example, if the next ironman training is going to be in Nice, France, the Coffee Cultural Landscape is your best choice. On the other hand, if your competition is in Orlando, Florida within a flat warm area, then the Colombian eastern plains or the Caribbean beach are the perfect places for your training. Let’s say the competition is in colder places like Canada, you can train near the Guatavita lake or the Sisga dam near the Boyacá region to experience mountains, gelid, steel-grey waters and cold wind to replicate those conditions.
Open-water Swimming training in San Andrés Island
Swimmers during a triathlon training competition.
Located in the insular region, at the north-western Caribbean part of the country, San Andrés is an archipelago formed with two other nearby islands: Providencia and Santa Catalina. This region is known for its paradisiacal beaches and for being home to the third-largest coral reef in the world, which has been declared protected sites by UNESCO's Seaflower Biosphere Reserve, and whose main purpose is protecting the coastal and marine ecosystems including its coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, beaches, and deep water.
Having your swimming training in San Andrés is an amazing experience. You can dip into its seven-colored ocean with crystal clear water and marvel at its beautiful sea life, like stingrays and wide variety of fish. You can even rent a boat to join you during your training, and you can participate in a local open-water competition called Oceanman which has two distance categories: 3 and 6 miles.
Other complementary plans during your swimming training in San Andrés are:
- Enjoy a pleasant rest in the beautiful island of Providencia and marvel at this unspoiled paradise on earth.
- Dive into the great sea-life biodiversity of Santa Catalina.
- Try the best dishes of the Island, such as the breaded crayfish deep fried with coconut rice!
Discover: Top 5 highlighted activities to do in Colombia by CNN Travel.
Bike workout for the best ironman training
Enjoy wonderful landscapes full of vegetation while you go cycling.
Colombia is a country that is well known for being home to some of the best professional cyclists in the world, such as Nairo Quintana and Rigoberto Urán. One big reason behind their recognition is the fact that the country has some of the best areas in the world for practicing outdoor cycling, like the world’s biggest climb: “Alto de Letras”. A 50-mile bike workout starting from the small town of Mariquita and persisting in a constant incline, making it one of the most popular places for sports tourism in Colombia.
During this ride, you can experience pretty much every climate in a wide area. From the warm weather of Mariquita in the Tolima region, to the mountain-cold wind gusts from the top of Alto de Letras, near the Caldas region and the famous Coffee Cultural Landscape. During this bike workout you can also rent a car and a trainer to join you on your journey with some of the best views of Colombia.
If you decide to perform this world-renowned cycling challenge, other plans in the region you might enjoy are:
- Hiking in Los Nevados Natural Park, the best spot for trekking in Colombia.
- Take a coffee tour in one of the many local coffee farms that will provide you a step-by-step explanation of the coffee growing process while having a cup of one of the world's finest coffee.
- Experience a city tour of Manizales, known as ‘The City of Open Doors’ due to its welcoming people.
Another cycling practice for your triathlon training routine can include bike touring the Andean mountain range in the Antioquia region, passing by some of the most beautiful heritage towns of the country. This is a great bike workout for beginners due to the moderate altitude and pleasant weather of the region.
You might be interested: Colombian cycling is getting popular, come and visit Colombia by bike.
Marathon training for each level in Boyacá
Discover the wonderful landscapes of Colombia during your trainings.
Boyacá is a region located in the central part of the country, in the eastern Andes cordillera. It is famous for being home to beautiful colonial heritage towns and its playful geography, which features mountains, hills, plains, plateaus and valleys. This makes it the perfect place to do a Marathon training as you can explore different trails with contrasting altitudes and terrains for a better performance.
One of the places where you can find a Marathon training camp is the beautiful town of Paipa, also known as the perfect weekend getaway site for those who seek therapy from their famous thermal baths. Here, high-performance athletes from around the world come to train because of its favorable altitude and climate conditions. You can find different surfaces to train on as well, from concrete-running tracks to marked trails on the mountains for trekking.
If you decide to host your marathon training here, check out these complementary activities you might like:
- Visit Villa de Leyva, one of the most tourist-friendly colonial towns in the country.
- Enjoy thermal bath and spa treatments in hotels near the area.
- Enjoy different activities at Lake Tota, the largest natural lake in Colombia.
According to high-intensity sports trainer Will Vargas, if you are a high-intensity sports performer, you can start from a 16-week triathlon training program to prepare for the Ironman competition. Otherwise, and for beginners, this time doubles up to 32 weeks. It is also very important to pick the right competition for each training level before signing up for more challenging events.
Come over and start triathlon training in Colombia with the best locations and complementary activities for your ironman training journey. We hope to see you soon!
