Is a Triathlon Camp Right for You?

Spring has sprung and triathlon race season is around the corner, which means that you are going to see many triathlon camps popping up on your social media feeds.

If you’ve never taken part in a training camp, you might feel intimidated and think that it is not for you, but we beg to differ.

There are as many training camps as there are colours of the rainbow. They can be tailored for different abilities, different locations, price ranges and trip durations, but all have these things in common - swimming, cycling and running with coaches to provide guidance and feedback and fellow athletes to provide motivation and training partners.

If you want to improve your performance, no matter what your current fitness level then a camp is a great option.

What does a typical day look like in a camp? 

This depends on the time of year, length and focus of the camp, but usually each day will involve at least two of the sports.  It could be a morning swim and afternoon run, or a morning run followed by an afternoon ride. There usually is one class-like learning component which could be a coach's talk or video lesson. 

Are they budget-friendly? 

Camps have a wide range of prices, and really depend on what an athlete is looking for. Training venues, facilities, services, locations, and travel to/from the camp, all play a role in costs.

How do you decide which camp is best for you?

Athletes should look to the coach who is leading it and see if it is someone they are interested in learning from. Other considerations are budget, time demands for the camp, proximity or location of the camp, unique opportunity, race-specific preparation, the timing of the camp with season goals, and the services offered.

Talk to anyone who has attended a training camp, and most if not all will tell you how valuable it was, especially if the camp was hosted at the location of their upcoming race. Being able to get out on the course gives you information that you can take back home to tweak your training plan to make it more specific, that in turn will make your race experience on race day that much richer. 

If you are racing the Tremblant 5150, Half Ironman or Full Ironman you might want to consider attending our June Training Camp in Mont Tremblant. The camp is limited to 20 registrants.  Full details can be found here

Julia Aimers

CSEP Clinical Exercise Physiologist

CSEP High-Performance Specialist

Certified Triathlon, Cycling, Yoga and Swimming Coach

USA Cycling Level 2 Coach

Training Peaks Accredited Coach