The Dutch Triathlon team is currently in Namibia for a three and a half week training camp. NBC Sport spoke to Coach Jelmer van Waveren, at one of their sessions, to find out why exactly they picked Namibia as a training base.
"We are here for the altitude, in the Netherlands we live at sea level which is close to zero, and here we are up 1700m, so for us its important, cause its less oxygen and when we go back to sea level we hope to see the benefits from less oxygen here to more speed in the Netherlands " Waveren said.
Over the last couple of years Windhoek's popularity as a high-altitude training base has grown tremendously among global endurance athletes, with the Dutch Triathlon team being one of the most recent.
But what is Altitude training, how does it work and why is Windhoek ideal to conduct it?
In simple terms, the oxygen inhaled by humans affects the energy our muscles receive to perform physical activities.
Red blood cells in our bodies carry the oxygen that helps the molecules in our muscles perform their functions.
The higher the altitude, the lower the level of oxygen, meaning the less oxygen taken in by our body the harder it is to do physical activity.
In response to this situation, the brain triggers the increased production of the hormone erythropoietin also known as EPO, encouraging our bodies to make more red blood cells to better transport the oxygen available. Over time, the body adapts and begins to transport the limited amount of oxygen in the air better than when it first arrived at altitude.
When athletes then return to sea level the increased level of red blood cells in their bodies, together with the higher level of oxygen, means the body is better at transporting oxygen than it was before and the athlete's ability to maximize the usage of oxygen efficiently is increased.
The ideal level for altitude training is between 1500m and 3000m above sea level which puts Windhoek in a good position with all the needed facilities in close proximity.
The Dutch team's training team includes elite triathletes such as Rachel Klamer and Richard Murray.