After more than 10 years and nearly 30 camps hosted in Greenville, SC (and our first few camps in Clermont, FL), you may have noticed this recent camp wasn't listed on our website, and you may even remember us saying there would be no group camps in 2026.
We've been quietly exploring other areas for our training camps to allow for new routes and experiences. Brevard has been on our mind as a potential new home for our group camps. Before opening it to the public, we invited a group of long-time Trimarni campers to experience the location firsthand and help us evaluate it. Their feedback will shape what comes next.
Brevard is just an hour from Greenville. Scenic mountain views. Smooth, bike-friendly roads. And as this weekend showed us, it has a wow factor with the Blue Ridge Parkway. Greenville will always be home to our private camps, but Brevard could become a potential location for future group camp experiences.
Brevard is just an hour from Greenville. Scenic mountain views. Smooth, bike-friendly roads. And as this weekend showed us, it has a wow factor with the Blue Ridge Parkway. Greenville will always be home to our private camps, but Brevard could become a potential location for future group camp experiences.
Here's a recap of our recent group triathlon camp in Brevard, NC.
DAY 1 · FRIDAY
Run, Swim, Ride
8am: ~1hr run workout at the Brevard Sports Complex
10am: ~90-min swim at the Brevard Racquet Club
2pm: Afternoon bike ride from the camp house
We kicked off camp with a full day of training. We like to start with a run or swim (and not a bike) as we feel it's a safe way to ease our campers into a group training experience.
RUN WORKOUT
Warm-up:15 min easy
Main set: ~30 min of: steady into strong up a short hill, into active recovery smooth (on Greenway path)
Cooldown: Easy jog
The purpose of this man set (alternating surges with controlled "smooth" segments) isn't about gaining speed. We are not heavy on metrics when it comes to our run training for our athletes. Instead, we want to help our athletes learn how to run better - with good form - under fatigue and to learn how to listen to their bodies. This type of workout teaches your body to manage effort under fatigue, which is one of the most important skills in long distance triathlon racing.
When you surge hard, lactate builds, breathing spikes, and heart rate climbs. And it's uncomfortable. By staying in motion during recovery (instead of stopping), you train your body to clear that stress while still moving forward. The "smooth" part shouldn't feel like an easy jog as it's controlled, intentional, almost a reset while still running. We are also big advocates of 'hills" instead of "speed" work on flat ground. We feel this is a safer approach to reducing the risk for injuries while getting the heart rate up as the hill allows for a shorter stride and less force with propulsion. It's also a lot easier to get the heart rate up quickly with a hill, which allows for a better stress response.
Immediately after the run, we went for a swim. We usually don't advocate swimming soon after running as there is great risk for lower leg cramping. But we were limited with pool availability. We did not have our athletes bring fins as that would increase the risk for cramping after running.
Warm-up:15 min easy
Main set: ~30 min of: steady into strong up a short hill, into active recovery smooth (on Greenway path)
Cooldown: Easy jog
The purpose of this man set (alternating surges with controlled "smooth" segments) isn't about gaining speed. We are not heavy on metrics when it comes to our run training for our athletes. Instead, we want to help our athletes learn how to run better - with good form - under fatigue and to learn how to listen to their bodies. This type of workout teaches your body to manage effort under fatigue, which is one of the most important skills in long distance triathlon racing.
When you surge hard, lactate builds, breathing spikes, and heart rate climbs. And it's uncomfortable. By staying in motion during recovery (instead of stopping), you train your body to clear that stress while still moving forward. The "smooth" part shouldn't feel like an easy jog as it's controlled, intentional, almost a reset while still running. We are also big advocates of 'hills" instead of "speed" work on flat ground. We feel this is a safer approach to reducing the risk for injuries while getting the heart rate up as the hill allows for a shorter stride and less force with propulsion. It's also a lot easier to get the heart rate up quickly with a hill, which allows for a better stress response.
Immediately after the run, we went for a swim. We usually don't advocate swimming soon after running as there is great risk for lower leg cramping. But we were limited with pool availability. We did not have our athletes bring fins as that would increase the risk for cramping after running.
We reserved four lanes at Brevard Racquet Club. The pool ran warm which was not ideal for hard, long efforts. But that was ok. The entire swim session was built around lots of 25s: short repeats with lots of drills focused on body position, tautness, breathing, and the catch.
Most triathletes want to be faster swimmers, but swimming continuously for long distances (200-800 yards at a time) isn't how you get there. First, you learn to swim well for short distances which means lots of 25's and 50s. Then you keep that technique as the distances (and intensity) grow.
Most triathletes want to be faster swimmers, but swimming continuously for long distances (200-800 yards at a time) isn't how you get there. First, you learn to swim well for short distances which means lots of 25's and 50s. Then you keep that technique as the distances (and intensity) grow.
We wrapped the day with an afternoon bike session. Before any riding at camp, we always run through the fundamentals: u-turns, cornering, sudden braking, and transitioning quickly between aero bars and base bars. These are skills every triathlete should master. Sadly, even athletes 10+ years in the sport often have worries about descending, cornering and knowing how to make a proper u-turn. We don't teach bike handling skills for speed purposes but rather, it's all about riding safety and confidence.
For the main set of the bike workout, we hit a ~6-mile (round trip stretch of road with a short climb between flat segments. In our camps, no one is too fast or too slow. To help with different abilities, we use shorter segments rather than long loops so everyone can focus on themselves without drifting too far apart.
That evening, we recapped the day's sessions, discussed Day 2 of camp, and our athletes got their goodie bags. A huge thank you to the companies who donated products as the bags were a big hit.
DAY 2 · SATURDAY
Bike, Run, Rain, Grit, and the Blue Ridge Parkway
3-hr ride + 30–45 min brick run on gravel trail
Day 2 didn't go exactly as planned but like most things in life, when things are out of your control, they turn into something more valuable than what is scripted.
We met at The Hub and set off for the Blue Ridge Parkway, with extra bottles staged in the SAG vehicle which waited for us at the Graveyard Falls parking area. Our scheduled 4-hour ride was cut to 3 hours when rain moved in at our SAG stop at the Parkway. We never reached Devils Courthouse, our planned endpoint at an elevation of 5700 feet. But our athletes did climb to 5200 feet.
But this group didn't complain. Even though everyone was miserable in the cold rain, they stayed focused on bike handling, and built real confidence descending in less-than-ideal conditions. We still climbed a total of 4,400 feet and caught incredible views along the way.
This is an important skill for training and on race day. Even when conditions are tough, you have self doubt or motivation is low, you'll never know what you are capable of until you try. This group pushed through and ended up running strong and finishing even stronger. Form looked great and everyone enjoyed the run.
That kind of training day is nearly impossible to replicate in a typical training environment, especially alone. It's so easy to give up, choose the easy option and to not stretch the discomfort muscle.
The mental toughness built on a day like Saturday is the kind that helps bring out great performances on race day.
In the evening, we ordered Pizza from Brevard Pizza Works for our athletes. We discussed day 2 and gave our final evening camp talk for the last day of camp.
DAY 3 · SUNDAY
Finishing in beautiful conditions
2 hour bike + 1 hour run
After a packed Friday and a wet, chilly Saturday, we closed camp the way every camp should close..... strong, high-energy, and full of encouragement.
For our bike session, we rode 35 minutes before prescribing the main set. During this warmup we also reconned the bike "course" that we would use for our workout. We chose a beautiful and quiet 4 mile stretch of road which had a mix of rollers and flats.
The bike workout was: 4 × 5 min strong w/ 3 min easy, followed by 20 min steady
After the bike session, it was time for the run. Our athletes quickly transitioned at the camp house and headed out on the beautiful country road for the run workout. We all ran 1 mile to the start of the workout which included a horse-shoe type of course. Up and over a .6 mile hill (.3 miles up and down the other side) and then 4 minutes out and back to reset. Then back over again. 4 times total for a main set of ~40 minutes. Then we all ran back to the camp house.
The views were incredible and the energy was palpable. But the best part was the way this group supported one another. Athletes of different abilities pushing each other forward, drawing out what's best in one another.
Over three days, our athletes logged more than 11 hours of training. But one of the biggest takeaways from this camp had nothing to do with watts, miles or paces.
Being surrounded by athletes of different abilities can feel intimidating at first. You might feel that pressure on race day too. It's easy to compare your journey to someone else's. But the beautiful thing about this sport is seeing what's possible regardless of age, schedule, or limitation.
As your races get closer, it's easy to focus on the person who's ahead of you. But don't forget: someone is looking at you the exact same way. You are someone else's stronger. You are someone else's role model. You are someone else's inspiration.
Progress isn't about comparison. It's about showing up, stepping outside your comfort zone, learning, surrounding yourself with people who lift you up, and giving your best every single day.
(and a big thank you to our athlete/friend Yannick for taking some great action shots throughout our camp)
