How to prepare to maximise your benefit from altitude training
- elenainthealps
- Mar 14
- 1 min read
Updated: Mar 16
Davos is the highest city in Europe, situated at 1,560 meters (5,118 feet) above sea level. We will be running at altitudes up to 2,980 meters (9,781 feet) above sea level.
For healthy and fit runners, this means you may find it difficult to maintain paces that you effortlessly hold at sea level. Welcome to high-altitude training! This is a great stimulus for your body to create red blood cells to transport oxygen to your muscles. When you get back to flatland, you will feel like flying! To create red blood cells, your body needs iron reservers (ferritin). To make the most of this experience, I recommend having ferritin levels >50 ng/ml. If you have questions regarding iron supplementation, feel free to contact me!
For people with certain medical conditions (e.g., heart failure, COPD), the altitude can be an issue. Since all of you who are registered are runners, I am assuming you do not have these. However, if you have a health condition and are unsure whether this could be problematic at high altitude, you can book a free online consultation with me, and I’ll assess your individual case. If I determine that participation in the camp could pose a risk to your health and recommend against it, I will refund 100% of your payment.
Hi Elena, thanks for sharing this. I have struggled with anaemia and low ferritin levels for years and finally reached 30 ng/ml last week, which for me is a lot better than before. My gp told me to stop taking iron tablets. Do you recommend I keep going so I can hopefully reach 50 ng/ml before August?