FIGHT THE FLAB WITH TRUE OLYMPIANS!
JOGGING along Es Trenc beach, I’m working up quite a sweat. Sun on face, spongy underfoot. This is tough. After four miles of pounding, I finally give up and amble into the refreshing blue Mediterranean.
Bobbing in the surf, the seawater soothing my aching limbs, I reflect that this certainly beats a soggy run round the park back home.
I am in the former fishing village of Colonia Sant Jordi, a sporty enclave in the south-east corner of Majorca that has become a mecca for European triathletes.
If you’re looking for an energetic, fitness-filled holiday or just hoping to get in shape after the festive season, this is the place — not least because various Olympic athletes are here to put you through your paces.
As well as coastal running, I’ve been brushing up my swimming skills at the BEST Centre, established in 2009 by James Parrack and Matthew O’Connor, both former GB
swimmers. It has a a ten-lane, 50m open-air pool and gym where they run training camps for swimmers and triathletes of all abilities, and take individual and family bookings if required.
The whole place is state-of-theart — and there are both underwater and above-water video cameras in the pool, so instructors can help to hone your technique.
The BEST Centre also has an arrangement with a bike shop run by Joan Tomas, who competed for Spain at the Seoul Olympics and spent five years with the Spanish national team.
There’s a gorgeous 36-mile coastal route on traffic-lite roads, passing vineyards and monasteries, which will take you all the way to the outskirts of the capital, Palma.
There are also two good climbs near by, and mountain routes on the other side of the island. Transport can easily be arranged.
If you need a day off from cardio routines, I recommend a 50-minute boat ride to the island of Cabrera, which boasts an unspoilt National Park inhabited only by seabirds.
A five-minute walk from the BEST Centre is the Bluewater Hotel, a charming guesthouse run by amiable Gaspar Rodriguez, a triathlon veteran — of course!
TRAVEL FACTS
EASYJET ( easyjet.com, 0330 365 5000) flies Stansted to Palma from £66 return. A three-day course at the BEST Centre ( bestswimcentre.
com, 0034 971 65 65 60) with three one-to-one swimming and/or triathlon coaching sessions is £77 (¤90). The Bluewater Hotel costs from £30 (¤35) per person per night half-board.