UKA/London Marathon Altitude Programme ... - Fidal Lombardia

BRITAIN'S TOP MIDDLE AND
LONG DISTANCE RUNNERS
ARE HOPING TO BENEFIT
FROM THE ALTITUDE
TRAINING PROGRAMME
and coaches in a group environment, a key objective of UKA’s
endurance strategy.
As revealed last month, Iten, situated in the famous Rift Valley
Province, is the training base for hundreds of athletes including
2009 world champions Florence Kiplagat, Mary Keitany, Linet Masai
and Vivian Cheruiyot, and while it’s referenced as the “capital of
running” in Kenya, it is arguably the epicentre of the endurance
world , with a reputation that keeps growing.
Based on the firm belief that group training offers greater
benefits than individual training, UKA’s endurance team wanted
to deliver a programme with provision of appropriate and expert
support personnel pre-camp, during and post-camp to ensure that
athletes and coaches, many of whom would be exposed to altitude
for the first time, were correctly educated and prepared.
The resultant UKA/LM altitude programme was almost 12 months
UKA/London MARAthon (LM) ALtItUde tRAInIng CAMP AnnUAL RePoRt | 21
in the planning, and following detailed and evidence-based input
from exercise physiologists Dr Barry Fudge and Professor Andy
Jones - both of whom have a huge amount of experience in working
with athletes at altitude - in addition to consultation with leading
domestic and overseas endurance athletes and coaches, the two
altitude venues ultimately chosen by UKA and LM were Font Romeu
in France and Iten in Kenya, at heights of 1800m (6000ft) and
2385m (8000ft) respectively.
WATCHFUL EYES
Sports science and educational support, primarily delivered by
Fudge and Jones, is integral to the UKA/LM altitude programme.
Athletes follow the physiological monitoring protocol set up for
altitude training which ensures they’re best prepared prior to going
to altitude, adapt to the altitude once at the venue and are then