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A comprehensive guide to racing a triathlon in Santa Marta
*This is a review based on the Santa Marta Continental Cup in 2022
Pre Travel
I'd like to preface this by saying that my partner and I were impressed by the beauty of Santa Marta and the hospitality of those we met while visiting. It was our experience that Colombia lived up to the reputation of having 'the most welcoming people in the world'.
That being said it is important to note that the risk level for Colombia from the Canadian Travel Advisory was: Exercise a High degree of Caution with Regional Advisories. We recommend you read the information provided in detail as the risk varies, particularly based on location.
It is also worth noting that we prepared for this trip by visiting a walk in clinic and getting a prescription for medication for Malaria prevention. We were ill prepared and did this a little more than a week before our departure, but at the time of writing this, it is recommended by the Canadian Travel Advisory that you visit a healthcare provider six weeks before departure. We were up to date on all other recommended vaccines before this trip.
Photos by Rachel Faulds and Nabeel Chirathodi
From left to right: Street view in Santa Marta, View from accommodations in Minca, Beach in El Rodadero
The Race
Venue: El Rodadero, Santa Marta
Photos by Rachel Faulds and Nabeel Chirathodi From Left to Right: Finish shoot at race venue, Rachel race morning, View from the bike of the course preview
This race course is pretty straight forward. The swim starts on a small beach. The start line/carpet is about 1/2 meter away from the water so it is a very quick run in with a steady drop off. Depending on your height you shouldn't need to take more than a few steps before you dive in.
It is a long first straight to the first buoy and the water has some chop to it. The swim is in the Caribbean Sea so it is salt water. After the first buoy the remainder of the swim is completing large rectangle where you make a left around all buoys except for the last one. The course is very clearly marked and the buoys are very large which makes sighting fairly easy.
Leaving the water there is a long run up into T1. This run is on a mix of sidewalk and road so be cautious about the footing. There is also a curb prior to T1.
Leaving T1 is a little difficult. You have to leave over that same curb you encountered entering transition and there is only one small section with a wooden ramp. In the race I ended up lifting my bike over the curb for this section because the ramp wasn't easily accessible. The mount line is very well marked but the road quality is poor. Leaving T1 the first kilometer of road is rough with some sections having gravel and/or large potholes and road bumps. After you get through this section you will be turning onto the highway where the road quality is good. You have two loops of the highway which is mostly flat with one small hill each way (making it a total of four hills). You have to return into T2 on the same road that you left on, so once again you will need to be aware of the gravel and potholes.
Coming into T2 the mount line is clearly marked but you will have to be aware of that curb that leads into transition. You leave T2 the same way you entered and turn onto the run course. This run is a two loop out-and-back course. There are multiple aid stations on route providing water. In my race I did miss a couple of aid stations because of either congestion or race volunteers not being ready (this isn't a criticism, there are a lot of athletes running on the course and as always we really appreciate all the work of the volunteers).
The most difficult part of this run was definitely the heat. This race can get hot. During the Elite Women's race the temperature was in the high 30's with a humidity in the mid 40's. The age group and development races were done early in the morning when it was slightly less hot, but the heat is still something you should be aware of. The highlight of the run course was the amount of support you received from the spectators.
I'd also like to note that the medical staff on site were remarkable. The heat really got to me on the run and I required medical attention immediately upon finishing. I'm really grateful for their expertise and the quality of care they provided me, and to the LOC for having great staff on site. I gave this race a rating of a 'B'. The race lost points for lack of parking availability at the venue, the road quality coming in and out of transition, as well as spectator quality of life features.
Overall rating of this race: B
Sometimes triathlon terms can be confusing. If you'd like some clarification on the terms used in this race review be sure to check out the Triathlon Glossary.
Pre-Race Training & Accommodations
There were many hotel options for this race, and we chose not to stay at the race hotel. While some people prefer staying at a race hotel for convenience(the race packet pick up was at the race hotel of Hotel Tamaca Beach Resort) we chose to stay about 400 meters away at a smaller boutique hotel. This choice was entirely based off of personal preference and finding accommodations that fit our travel budget.
I tend to get fairly nervous for races and have found that being around other athletes, race officials and race day set up before the race makes it harder for me to relax. To put myself in the best headspace before a race my preference is to stay near the race hotel so that I can benefit from the location but avoid some pre-race anxiety. This isn't always an option, but in El Rodadero there were many hotels to choose from. For this race we stayed at Hotel Mandalas House by Dot Boutique.
Photos by Rachel Faulds and Nabeel Chirathodi All images here taken at Hotel Mandalas House by Dot Boutique
Getting in the appropriate swim training before the race was very easy. Our accommodations were a short walk to the beach of Playa El Rodadero Santa Marta where there was a roped off area for swimming only. This made it safe from boats and easy to use the buoys as sighting markers. The beach itself is fairly busy, but swimming out near the buoys made it easy to get in a workout.
I would recommend either bringing someone with you to watch your bag while you swim since this beach is very busy and there is a lot of traffic here. If this is not an option then try to only bring the stuff you will be using while swimming.
This city is busy and it was pretty hard to decipher what the traffic rules were (and if people would choose to follow them). This made it so that I didn't feel safe riding my bike outside of the designated course preview.
There were a lot of sidewalks for running, but the curbs had some big drop offs and it was a very populated area. This meant that running was accessible, but that running fast or getting in a pre-comp 'workout' required some strategy. I chose to find some side streets for any effort that would be more than fifteen seconds long. It did get monotonous repeating the same short section of sidewalk, but it did feel essential to capitalize on running any stretch that was less densely populated with stable footing.
Photos by Rachel Faulds and Nabeel Chirathodi All photos taken in El Rodadero, Santa Marta
Throughout El Rodadero there were a lot of restaurants and grocery stores. Acquiring food was very easy and there were a lot of options. The best grocery store we found was located inside the shopping mall, Arrecife Centro Comercial.
Based on the scoring guide the Pre Race Training and Accomodations lost points for lack of safe cycling areas and lack of mechanical services prior to the event.
Overall Rating of Pre-Race Training and Accommodations: C
Post Race Sightseeing
The ease of post race sightseeing is definitely a big draw for this race. The large district of Santa Marta has a lot to offer. Within walking distance of the race venue and race accomodations there are a lot of options for beaches and shopping. The water was fairly warm and it felt clean. If you chose to spend a day on the water there were also options for boat tours or renting kayaks or paddle boats.
Getting into the main city of Santa Marta does require a cab ride. The cost for us was about 15.000 COP each way. This was a normal sedan style cab and this was the rate charged for two passangers.
One thing to note is that it is not reccomended that tourists hail cabs on the street. On our way to Santa Marta we asked for assistance calling the cab from the reception of our hotel. On the way back to El Rodadero we walked into a large chain hotel and asked at the reception there if they would be able to assist us in calling a cab.
Photos taken by Rachel Faulds and Nabeel Chirathodi Top row: All images taken in Santa Marta Bottom row left to right: Glamping pod in Minca, lemonade in Minca, Leaving El Rodadero towards Minca
The city of Santa Marta itself is very cool. It is a city on the Carribean Sea located on the northern part of Colombia. This was the first Spanish settlement in Colombia when the Spanish Conquisadors arrived and was founded in 1525.
We arrived at the Marina in Santa Marta and walked around with no agenda other than viewing the city. The Marina was lined by a beach with a lot of different activities. There were many food stalls along a boardwalk, beach games and lots of music. The beach here is a lot more bustling than the beaches in El Rodadero were.
A short walk off of the Marina we found the Centro Historico de Santa Marta. This area boasts a lot of old Spanish architechture that is reflective of Spanish Colonization. My personal favourite part of Santa Marta was the murals and paintings we saw in Centro Historico de Santa Marta.
Photos taken by Rachel Faulds and Nabeel Chirathodi
Left to right: Nabeel at The Beer Garden, street in El Rodadero, Rachel at The Beer Garden
We purposely booked our flights a couple of days after the race. This was so that we would have a chance to visit Minca. This was definitely the best decision we could have made and I really reccomend that anyone making the trip to Northern Colombia add in the journey to Minca.
One of the biggest privledges that travelling afforded us was the opportunity to stay in this park. We had the chance to learn about Minca and her peoples while personally experienceing an unparalleled level of calmness. The Parque Nacional Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is home to almost every type of ecosystem and many bird species. It was delcared as 'the most irreplaceable ecosystem on earth' by Popular Science and is home to four indigineous groups (called the Kogi, Wiwa, Kankuamo, and Arhuaco) that all originated from a larger ancient group called the Tairona. In our stay at Trekker Glamping we learned about the Arhuaco peoples and their relationship with this land.
Getting to this hub for ecotourism was a fourty five minue cab ride from El Rodadero. This ride was not very smooth and the roads were winding while climbing to a high elevation pretty quickly. All of this to say, I experienced some nausea and felt the effects of the altitude.
We loved our expeirence in Minca and really hope to return one day. I dove into more about Minca and Parque Nacional Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in the Destination Deep Dive section.
Words To Know
Hi - Hola
Goodbye - Adios
Yes - Si
No- No
Please- Por favor
Thank you - Gracias
No thank you- No gracias
Ok - ok
Triathlons In Colombia
Ironman 70.3 Cartagena https://www.ironman.com/im703-cartagena
Closest Airport: Rafael Nuñez International Airport - CTG
Triathlon of the Sierra Xservies Tri Santa Marta: https://www.eventrid.com.co/eventos/xportiva/xseries-tri-santamarta-2022 Closest Airport: Simón BolÃvar International Airport *Note for the World Triathlon Event you register through your National federation
This is not an exclusive list. The triathlon community in Santa Marta was wonderful and there were events for elite, para, junior and age group athletes. Because of this it comes as no surprise that Colombia Travel promotes many regions in Colombia as ideal landscapes for triathlon training. I've linked the triathlon page here.
Where to Stay
We chose to stay at Hotel Mandalas House by DOT Boutique. We really liked the location (just a short walk to the shopping center and the beach) and it's seclusion from the busy main street. This is a really small hotel, with only a handful of rooms. We chose one of their Standard Rooms, since it was the cheapest option, and it was magnificent. Our room overlooked the courtyard breakfast bar and pool area. The rooms themselves came equipped with a fully stocked mini fridge (there is a surcharge for the drinks) and toiletries. Breakfast was included with the room, and every morning we were given a full breakfast with fresh juice and coffee. The staff on site were very welcoming and I would recommend this hotel for anyone visiting El Rodadero.
There are also many other hotels in both El Rodadero and downtown Santa Marta to fit a wide range of budgets. For the race I would reccomend staying in El Rodadero.
Photos taken by Rachel Faulds and Nabeel Chirathodi Left to Right: Rachel in pool at hotel, Hotel pool area, Rachel drinking coffee
After we left El Rodadero we headed to Minca. Our stay in Minca was definitely the highlight of trip to Colombia. We stayed at Trekker Glamping which is a more expensive option for this region. We loved it and if it fits your budget I would definitely reccomend it. That being said there are a lot of accomodations in Minca that can fit a variety of budgets.
Tips and Tricks
If you have an unlocked phone DONT do a Roam Like Home plan. You can purchase a sim card for about $6-12 for your whole trip. Our sim card cost $9.75 and would have been active for up to a month and included up to 24GB of data. *For clarification an unlocked phone means it is not linked into your phone carrier.
Keep an eye on the UV index. Colombia is located really close to the equator and in our time there the UV index hit a peak of 11 between 11am and 3pm. This can cause skin and eye damage radiation and a UV index of above 6 is considered high. We recommend making an effort to cover your skin and eyes while actively reapplying sunscreen during your trip.
Toilet Paper is provided and disposed of differently than in North America. In some places (the exceptions to this can include large hotels and/or large Airports) you must get your toilet paper before going into the bathroom stall (there is no toilet paper in the stall) and you must dispose of it in a garbage can beside the toilet. Not all plumbing can support the disposal of toilet paper.
The biggest tip would be to learn some Spanish before going. Spanish is the official language of Colombia and we felt that our time in Colombia would have been even better had we learned Spanish.
Cost
The local currency is Colombian Peso. It is easy to withdrawal cash from an ATM (we used an ATM found in the mall, Arrecife Centro Comercial). Cards are widely used in Colombia and we didn't feel that it was necessary to have cash for most purchases. The exception was paying for taxis and tipping at our hotel.
Taxi: From the Santa Marta airport to our accommodation in El Rodadero the cost of a taxi with space for a bike box and two people was 50.000 COP. If you did not have a bike the rate was around 30.000COP. The cost is a little bit more if you are going into downtown Santa Marta. Within the city using Taxis was relatively cheap. Our trip into downtown Santa Marta cost 15.000 COP which, at the time of writing this, converts to $4.52 CAD.
Hotel: The price range for cost of accommodation is quite large. If you are staying at a hostel you can expect to pay as little $20 CAD or as much as $210 CAD for luxury hotels.
Food: Approximately $8-15 CAD per person per meal. Adding alcohol may put you outside of this price range. Beer is relatively inexpensive but mixed drinks are expensive. Non-alcoholic beverages were also relatively inexpensive.
Please note that this post was written from our perspective and experiences as a interracial heterosexual couple from Canada. Your experiences may vary. Please read the Canadian travel advisory (or your own countries travel advisory) prior to travel.