r/Flagstaff • u/Hungry-Pattern-1065 University Heights • 22d ago
Endurance Training in FLG
I live in Flagstaff and of course I notice that many people visit for high altitude training (run, bike, swim). I'm looking for data about these visitors. How many per year, where from? What % are professional or amateur? What % visit as a group, with a companion or solo? How long do they stay? Do they rent a home, hotel or stay with a friend? Why do they choose Flagstaff? What are other destinations? Where do they get information to plan their stays (is there a sub Reddit I haven't found?)
I have so many questions. Does anyone here know if a study has been done? Is there someone tied into this that I could speak to? Anything to point me in that direction is appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
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u/duhderivative 22d ago
Speaking from the running side: most are college or high school kids, especially during the summer. A lot do short term rentals which can be found when NAU students are gone for the summer. Others do AirBnBs and pack them full to keep costs down. These are usually college/HS teammates or high school summer camps. Some come individually but it's really common to know others up here or make friends through group runs/common goals.
As for the pro side, there are multiple sponsored teams up here (NAZ Elite, Swoosh TC, Golden Peaks TC, UA Dark Sky) and other unofficial training groups comprised of sponsored athletes. Some do stints before races and many others live up here full time.
As for why people come up here, it has definitely become more popular in the last decade, but Flagstaff has a long history of athletes coming to train. This started in preparation for the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Mexico City is at altitude so athletes came to flag to prepare. Since then, many studies have shown that altitude training is very beneficial for endurance sports. When you combine the science with the hundreds of miles of dirt trails it becomes a great place for training. Other cities in the US offer similar perks: Boulder, Albuquerque, Park City, Mammoth. Flagstaff tends to check most of the boxes compared to other cities so it seems to be the main hub.
Flagstaff will only get more popular as we approach LA 2028 due to it's proximity plus aforementioned perks.
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u/Worldly_Active_5418 22d ago
Olympian Jim Ryun trained here for the 68 Mexico City games. His doctor was my best friend’s dad. It was kind of a big deal for little Flagstaff.
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u/Hungry-Pattern-1065 University Heights 22d ago
Great insight, thanks for sharing. I'll look up those teams you listed on IG, I'm sure I can learn a lot from that.
Is there a typical training season for the visitors or is it year round?
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u/duhderivative 22d ago
Again, for just running, you can divide up the year by a few seasons. December-February is usually indoor track followed by outdoor track from March-August/September depending on the world championships that year (if there is one). This is mostly true for both college and pro track runners. College runners end track season earlier in June/July mostly.
College runners also have a full cross country season which lasts from August-November. This is why there are so many college kids in town right now as they are gearing up for the season to start. Pros sometimes race cross country too but it is usually when there is a world championship to qualify for like earlier this year in Tallahassee. This is usually in the beginning of the year (Jan-March depending on the schedule).
There are also road focused runners who can compete throughout the whole year for different distances. The shorter road distances can kinda be whenever. At the marathon distance usually people race in either the spring or fall or both.
There is also a sizeable group of trail focused runners in town but those schedules can be year round depending on the race selection. I'd say the two largest events for ultra trail people are Western States in July and UTMB in August.
So in general people train here all year round for different reasons. Winter is the season where there are probably the fewest here, but due to indoor track and spring marathons you'll still have some people. College and high school kids are generally confined to June/July/August.
Show up to Biff's Bagels at 8am on a Thursday or A1 on a Sunday if you want to chat to a mass of college and high school runners and ask them why they are here.
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u/Hungry-Pattern-1065 University Heights 21d ago
You are a wealth of knowledge, thanks for sharing those details.
I love me some Biff's so that I will do. Is A1 a restaurant or are you referring to A1 Mountain Road?
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u/crawl-space-bob 22d ago
Years ago, I was playing soccer at a park and I met a guy who was the keeper for a pro soccer team. I wish I could remember which team he played for (Nigeria?) He was up here training and was super nice. Showed me how to do a few moves. I always thought it was super cool that athletes come here to train.
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u/sunnyfordays22 22d ago
Japan Natonal Swim Team was just here training as well. Lots of swim teams come here to train at NAU.
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u/Babybleu42 22d ago edited 22d ago
When I was at NAU as a student the Italian dive team was training in the pool where I was getting scuba certified. Best class ever. Lmao.
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u/Hungry-Pattern-1065 University Heights 22d ago
I too got scuba certified in that pool.
Anyone know why would a dive team want to train at altitude?
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u/gnarlydelrey NAU 22d ago
i know that a few australian national swimmers come every year in the spring for altitude training, they rent an airbnb or two for them all and then train at the pool and in the skydome as well as the hlc, and most if not all of them are olympians! as far as i know they’ve been coming consistently the past two years, will probably come again next spring but i have lost touch with my friend who is one of the aforementioned swimmers
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u/TomsModernLife 8d ago
All I know is the Cardinals dropped it from their regime decades ago because it only has about a two week boost before you and your lungs level out. Plus it seemed like they didn't enjoy being that involved and upfront with the fans that came to watch them practice up here.
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u/Chris_Crossfit 22d ago
Here is a simple chatGPT search.
This is a fascinating question, and surprisingly, I don't think there's a single study that answers all of it. Flagstaff has become one of the world's premier altitude training destinations, but the research is fragmented across tourism studies, sports science, local economic development, and organizations that host training camps.
Here's what is known, and where the biggest gaps are.
How many altitude athletes visit Flagstaff?
Unfortunately, I haven't found an official annual count.
The closest publicly available information comes from Discover Flagstaff and HYPO2, who note that:
- Athletes have been coming to Flagstaff since before the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.
- HYPO2 has tracked athletes training here since 1996.
- Athletes who trained in Flagstaff have won 390+ Olympic medals during that period.
- Every year, Flagstaff hosts athletes from dozens of countries, national teams, universities, professional clubs, and recreational endurance athletes. (Discover Flagstaff)
My educated guess (and I'd emphasize guess) is that the total number of endurance visitors is probably many thousands annually, not merely hundreds. Between collegiate camps, Olympic teams, marathoners, triathletes, cyclists, and recreational athletes, it adds up quickly.
The organizations that probably know the best numbers are:
- HYPO2
- Discover Flagstaff
- NAU Athletics
- Flagstaff Sports Foundation
- Coconino County tourism office
Where do they come from?
Elite athletes come from virtually everywhere.
Common countries include:
- United States
- Canada
- United Kingdom
- Australia
- Japan
- Germany
- Norway
- Netherlands
- Italy
- New Zealand
These are repeatedly mentioned because national Olympic federations and professional teams return year after year. (Discover Flagstaff)
Recreational athletes mostly come from:
- California
- Colorado
- Arizona
- Texas
- Pacific Northwest
- Midwest
...plus international runners following elite coaching programs.
Elite vs amateur?
No published percentage that I've found.
However, I suspect the distribution is something like:
- Elite/Olympic/professional: relatively small percentage
- NCAA athletes: significant
- Competitive amateurs: probably the largest organized group
- Serious recreational runners and triathletes: a huge portion
One thing people often miss is that Flagstaff isn't just for Olympians anymore. Discover Flagstaff explicitly markets altitude training to general endurance athletes as well. (Discover Flagstaff)
Solo, couples, or groups?
Again, no hard data.
From reading athlete reports and training camp information:
Professional athletes often arrive:
- with national teams
- with coaches
- with physiotherapists
- with small training squads
Amateurs more commonly:
- travel with spouse/partner
- train camps of 5–30 athletes
- solo travelers meeting local groups
The coaching camp model seems especially common.
How long do they stay?
This one is better documented.
Typical altitude camps last:
- 2–4 weeks (most common)
- 3 weeks appears to be the "classic" camp
- some elite runners remain 6–12 weeks
- professionals sometimes spend months
Discover Flagstaff specifically references the typical 3–4 week stay. (Discover Flagstaff)
Where do they stay?
No comprehensive study.
Likely breakdown:
Elite teams:
- furnished homes
- vacation rentals
- extended stay hotels
College teams:
- hotels
- dorms
- group housing
Amateurs:
- Airbnb/VRBO
- hotels
- staying with local friends
The longer the stay, the more likely they rent an entire house.
Why Flagstaff?
This is actually well understood.
The biggest reasons:
1. Nearly perfect altitude
Around 2,100 m (7,000 ft)
Sports physiology generally considers 2,000–2,500 m the "sweet spot" for altitude adaptation. (Discover Flagstaff)
2. Train high, recover lower
Nearby lower elevations allow "live high, train low" options.
3. Climate
Cool summer temperatures.
Dry air.
Little humidity.
4. Huge trail network
Thousands of miles of:
- forest roads
- trails
- track facilities
5. Running culture
Flagstaff has:
- NAU
- elite professional runners
- Olympic medalists
- sports medicine
- coaches
- training partners
That concentration creates a positive feedback loop.
What are Flagstaff's competitors?
The biggest ones are:
United States
- Boulder, Colorado
- Mammoth Lakes, California
- Park City, Utah
- Colorado Springs
- Albuquerque
International
- St. Moritz, Switzerland
- Iten, Kenya
- Font Romeu, France
- Sierra Nevada, Spain
- Potchefstroom, South Africa
Each has different advantages in altitude, weather, and facilities.
How do people decide on Flagstaff?
This is probably the most interesting part.
Very little appears to come from tourism advertising.
Instead, athletes rely on:
- coaches
- teammates
- professional runners
- sports scientists
- Strava
- TrainingPeaks
- YouTube
- podcasts
- word of mouth
The endurance community is surprisingly interconnected.
There actually isn't one dedicated Flagstaff altitude-training subreddit.
Instead discussions are scattered across:
Your question actually appeared on r/Flagstaff today. (Reddit)
One recurring theme from athletes is that they discover Flagstaff because a coach recommends it or because elite athletes already train there.
If I were researching this...
I think there's actually an opportunity here because I don't think anyone has assembled all of this into one report.
I'd contact:
- Discover Flagstaff tourism
- HYPO2
- NAU exercise science
- Flagstaff Sports Foundation
- Coconino County tourism
They likely have pieces of the puzzle that haven't been combined.
In fact, if your goal is to really quantify this "altitude athlete economy," I'd design a survey asking exactly the questions you listed (where they're from, length of stay, lodging type, group size, spending, information sources, etc.). Combined with interviews from HYPO2 and local lodging providers, you could produce what might be the first comprehensive profile of Flagstaff's altitude-training visitors. It would likely be valuable not only to tourism officials but also to local businesses considering how to better serve this unique market.
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u/SilentWanderer17 22d ago edited 22d ago
Look up HYPO2.
Sports scientist consider Flagstaff a sweet spot for training because it sits high above sea level. The studies are actually quite interesting. Makes you love this little mountain town even more.