Wanaka proving no holiday camp

New Zealand's elite triathletes in Wanaka for a two-week training camp are (back, from left) Kris Gemmell, Ryan Sissons, Kate McIlroy, James Elvery, Martin van Barneveld and Greg Fraine, (front, from left) Nicky Samuels, Tim Brazier, Tony Dodds, Rob Creasy, Tom Davison, Clark Ellice, Andrea Hewitt, and Dylan McNeice. Photo by Marjorie Cook.

Triathlon New Zealand's high altitude training camp for elite athletes, based in Wanaka, is being attended this year by Kris Gemmell, of Palmerston North, Andrea Hewitt, of Christchurch and Kate McIlroy, of Wellington, who have been identified as possible medallists at the 2012 Olympics.

Seven other Olympic squad members, including Wanaka's Nicky Samuels and Tony Dodds, are also at the three-week camp, which finishes next Friday.

Triathlon New Zealand has also invited three international triathletes to the camp: Gemmell's partner Anya Dittmar, from Germany, Hewitt's partner and coach Laurent Videl, of France, and Neil Peters, of Luxembourg.

The athletes were in a relaxed and cheerful mood on Thursday, after completing a 3km swim through the choppiest part of the lake, between Eely Point and Ruby Island.

It took them 45-50 minutes.

When Hewitt (27) listed everything else she had done that day, it was clear the athletes were not resting on their laurels.

"It's not a holiday. This morning I ran at the Snow Farm. I actually did a session on the road going down and uphill. I ran for one hour. Then I had lunch. This afternoon I rode for two hours. Then we swam at 3pm. I do four to five hours' training a day, depending on which day it is, whether it's a heavy day or a light day. I would do around 25 hours a week," Hewitt said.

While Hewitt had finished for the day, several others were about to go for a run or to the gym.

National coach Greg Fraine said the camp's goal was to get a big block of training completed before the Oceania Championships in Wellington next Saturday, the Mooloolaba World Cup from March 28-30, and the ITU World Championship race in Sydney on April 11.

The athletes are aiming to complete up to 30 hours' training a week, about 40% dedicated to cycling, 40% to swimming and 20% to running.

But another important goal in Wanaka is to test the athletes' response to high altitude training.

Sports scientist Rob Creasy is doing a range of blood tests on each athlete and will test them again after each race in the next four weeks.

Altitude training was an important part of the Olympic build-up, and if the athletes knew how their bodies responded, it would help them peak for London, Fraine said.

"Some people react very well after 48 hours. Some react after a few weeks," he said.