The Ultimate Guide to Choosing Your First Triathlon Training Camp
Although we are firmly a coaching company, Tri Training Harder began life as a training camp company. Our founder, Philip Hatzis, outlines the key considerations people should make when signing up for their first camp or going somewhere new!
Training camps are becoming increasingly popular, not just for the endurance elite. More people than ever are on active training holidays and looking for getaways or training escapes. However, it can be quite a minefield of the differences between camps and how to know what to book. Therefore, it is essential to thoroughly research and plan your training camp options before signing up for a camp as you may have a few surprises. In this ultimate guide to training camps, we outline some key factors to consider when deciding, along with identifying common pitfalls to avoid and some top tips to use when selecting your next training destination.
Costs
For most people, costs are one of the most significant factors. However, charges can be slightly more complicated than expensive vs. cheap! Some cost displays are classic sales techniques. They may advertise prices “from,” which will be significantly below what you may end up paying! Our approach has always been to be as upfront as possible about our prices and where there are additional costs (for example, when out in cafes on a ride). As a side point, this actually means our advertised price is more expensive because we sell a private room, with the option of sharing if you bring a friend. We believe our approach keeps the whole conversation transparent. Here are some additional or hidden costs that are worth checking when looking at prices and managing your budgets.
Private bedroom – most camps are sold as a shared bedroom. So you end up sharing the room with someone else, or you have to pay for a single supplement. This could be a substantial price increase.
Food – No endurance athlete can go too long without thinking about their next meal. Check and see what is actually included in the price. Is it lodging only, breakfast, half board or full board?
Facility Access – Some locations are stunning, but access to facilities comes at an additional cost or is restricted. Be sure to check before you head out.
Transfers – The location may be stunning, but that usually means locations are far from civilisation! This can be a lengthy and expensive transfer from the airport to the location. Some companies include transfers, while others add them as a cost.
Guiding and Coaching – Again, some camps add their coaching costs or guiding costs on top of the cost of a camp.
Upgrades – Like any service or tourism-based company, there are always opportunities to upgrade. This may mean you end up paying more than you expected!
Tourism and service-based businesses follow a similar model. They want to get some clickbait and then show you their best side before trying to sell you the items with the most considerable margin. Anything else is, of course, possible (they sold you some photos!) but comes at an additional fee! Be a savvy traveller, and then see what you can get away with. In our experience, ask bigger companies or hotels/purpose-made complexes if there are any deals, as they will always have headroom or may be able to offer upgrades which cost them nothing but make you feel better. Smaller coaching firms, or one-man-bands, will work on much tighter margins and are already trying their best. Often, coaches who are also athletes try and get people out to train with them to offset their training costs, and therefore, they really don’t have much headroom as they will be hiring everything from bigger hotels that are making real money!
Logistics
This section is undoubtedly linked heavily with the costs outlined above, and athletes can mitigate many of the expenses above by sensibly checking the logistics of the camp they are going on. Though the two are interlinked (logistical complications can cost more money), it is vital to thoroughly research the camp’s logistics and what you are getting. We talk a lot about the “Faff-factor”. This is different for every person. However, it makes limited sense to save yourself £100 for the week of training by doing all the food yourself if you end up eating late, not having enough food or spending half your resting time shopping! It may be simpler for you to go for the food option.
Flights/travel to the location – We mentioned transfers already, which is essential, but before that, where is the nearest airport? How far is it from the accommodation/camp location? Which flights fly to it from your nearest airport? How frequent are the flights? Also, are there cheaper airports nearby?
Arrival Time – Think carefully about when you are planning on flying. The early cheap flight may save you money, but it may mean you are also exhausted for the first two days of the camp, especially if you finish work. Also, check check-in times.
Departure time – be clear about when the camp finishes so you don’t miss out on the last day. Ensure there are clear options around late checkout or what that means if you have a later or earlier departure.
Food – Is food included in the price of the camp? If it isn’t, what are the options? Will you be able to easily get hold of food (supermarket) and cook it (kitchen), or will you need to use nearby restaurants (additional cost), which may not provide for hungry athletes?
Access to the facilities – As mentioned above, there could be a cost associated here, but ignoring the price, where are the facilities, what are the opening times, can you walk in, or do you need to pre-book? Do you have what you need? E.g. Swimming, open water swimming, gym, good roads for cycling, running track, trails, etc.
Bike hire – can you hire one if you don’t want to take your bike?
Bike type – There is always a conversation about which bike to take: the TT or your road one! Some camps allow TT bikes; others won’t.
Wetsuit hire – if you are swimming in open water, do you need a wetsuit? Can you hire one?
Coaching – Some training camps have a very integrated coaching team; others don’t and are much more hands-off. Which do you want?
Amenities – Are there washing facilities, access to a fridge, places to cook your own food, etc.?
Weather – The weather is hard to predict. Especially as global warming has more of an impact than ever, a quick search to see the average weather will help you decide if it is an excellent place to go for that time of year! This will also impact how much other kit and equipment you want to take!
With logistics (and costs), it is all about optimising the cost of going with the ease of being there. There may be some savings made on the cost side, which actually means you have a worse experience overall, in which case, on balance, it is all about getting the best value out of a camp.
Reviews and Testimonials
Most companies across most industries are keen to get reviews from customers. After all, this is the “word of mouth” that is so critical for prospective clients to see – reviews speak very loudly. Nevertheless, Most companies will showcase their best reviews in critical areas around the site. Instead, look at the company’s review platforms (e.g., Google or Trustpilot) and see the common themes. However, you can go beyond the reviews themselves and look and see how the people reviewing relate to you. Are they all male or all female? What is their perceived or mentioned standard or ability? Are they experienced or inexperienced? What are the reviews saying about other areas of the business?
For the training camp, try and dive into the types of reviews and what they say. Again, many companies will highlight the good ones, not the bad ones, but sometimes the bad ones are worth reading. Remember that people usually only leave a bad review if there is a really frustrating issue, so take it with a pinch of salt, but see if there are any common ones there. Additionally, see how the company has responded to all reviews, good or bad.
If you still aren’t sure, ask to have a call with one of the coaching staff. That can often tell you a lot about the company.
Coaching, the training camp itself and the training programme
Every training camp can be very different. This is usually based on the purpose of the camp. When planning a training camp, this is a really crucial part of the planning stages. If you want to work on technique in the pool, you want to pick somewhere where there is an emphasis on technique (and there are pool sessions!). The time of year the camp is on may impact that. For example, our training camps run winter camps focussing on base aerobic fitness, technical skills and testing. Our spring camps include a lot more intensity. There is still a technical focus. However, the aim is also to ensure you build into the season. Our summer camps are much more athlete and event-specific. These look at targeting specific event fitness markers and testing technique under fatigue. It is easy to see how the different camps have very different flavours. Each camp location will have a similar ‘flavour’ or style. Additionally, make sure you are going to the camp that suits you. Are you attending a cycling camp which happens to have a pool nearby, or are you doing a triathlon camp?
This style will impact the schedule or the types of training sessions. Any two camps could have similar programs in terms of hours but have a very different focus within them. So it is essential to understand what the style of the camp is to ensure you can get the best training programme suited to your needs. Each programme will look reasonably significant compared to what you are used to, but that is part of the point of a training camp. Additionally, you have more time to recover, so it should balance itself out.
Finally, the coaching team dramatically impacts how the camp style and training schedule are applied to the individual. All our coaches must complete our Professional Endurance Coaching Pathway. This ensures that there is a high-quality of coaching. However, this is not the case at all camps. Some excellent coaches do not have external or peer-validated coaching “qualifications” like the pathway, and some terrible coaches have many certificates and qualifications. Look at the coaches’ athletes’ testimonials and try and talk to them if you can. If you are relatively new to the sport, going on a camp with a coach who is also an athlete training for an event may mean your training is less important, as if you went to another camp. There is no hard and fast rule, and every coach is different. So shop around and be sure that the quality is there. The coach-to-athlete ratio can be really telling for you. The fewer athletes for every coach, the more you are likely to spend, but the more coach time you will receive!
The Ultimate Tips for choosing your Training camp?
We recommend putting a table together and comparing all the factors above between the different camps you are looking at. This helps to standardise the camps and ensures you have a fair comparison. From that table, you can get a feel for the likely value for money and identify any hidden costs (each camp will talk about different things) and training experiences that may resonate with you or make you nervous. All these things can help you make an informed decision. Interestingly, the headline advertising points are rarely the reasons for committing to a particular camp.
Or, if you prefer, you can open a Google Documents template by using this link.
Philip is the founder of Tri Training Harder LLP. He’s a British Triathlon Level 3 coach, and has been coaching for over a decade and is involved with mentoring and developing other coaches.
Philip has have coached athletes to European and World AG wins, elite racing, many Kona qualifications, IRONMAN podiums and AG wins.
Alongside the conventional development through many CPD courses, he has also been fortunate enough to work alongside experts in the fields of Physiotherapy, Strength and Conditioning, Nutrition, Psychology, Biomechanics, Sports Medicine. Putting this knowledge into practice he has worked with thousands of athletes to various degrees, from training camps in Portugal and around Europe, clinics in the UK and online coaching.
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Tri Training Harder are one of the leading Triathlon coaching providers in the UK, using our wealth of experience to unite scientific and technological research with already well-established and successful best practices, to create a formula for triathlon and endurance coaching that works.
The result is an honest, dynamic, yet simple new way of constructing an athlete’s training to allow them to reach their potential.
If you’re planning your next season, just starting out in the sport or are looking for extra guidance at the very top end of the field, we are here to help, and our coaches would be delighted to hear from you. You can contact us via the website, and one of the team will be in touch.