Some destinations are made for switching off. Others make you want to train. In Gran Canaria, Anfi is trying to make both happen in the same place.
Anfi Sports Academy is an interesting evolution of the traditional holiday resort: a place designed for guests who do not want to leave sport at home. Swimmers, cyclists, triathletes and golfers can combine dedicated facilities, athlete-friendly accommodation and a landscape that allows outdoor training throughout most of the year.
From holiday resort to training destination
The concept is centred particularly around Anfi Emerald Club and Anfi Tauro. Facilities include a heated outdoor 25-metre pool, a Technogym gym and a multifunctional cross-training area. According to Anfi, the pool also features an overhead recording system used for swim-technique analysis and personalised testing.
Yet the strongest asset begins outside the resort. Gran Canaria’s terrain allows athletes to move from coastal roads to long mountain climbs in a single ride, while the climate in the south offers attractive training conditions during the months when much of Europe is deep into winter.
Open-water training between Anfi del Mar and Patalavaca
One of the most distinctive features is the open-water set-up. Anfi provides a 50-metre natural training area with turning platforms and a swimming channel linking Anfi del Mar with Patalavaca. Anfi’s route information marks 800 metres one way and 1,600 metres for the return trip. These are also waters closely associated with Challenge Mogán Gran Canaria.
A base used by professionals
Anfi says its facilities have hosted leading triathlon champions and professional cycling organisations including Ineos, Bahrain Victorious and Movistar, as well as the Italian national team. Its sports material has also featured athletes such as Jan Frodeno, Patrick Lange, Jonathan Brownlee and Nicola Spirig.
The bigger story goes beyond famous names. Athletes no longer need a race to justify travelling. A cyclist or triathlete from northern Europe may travel in winter simply to find the roads, water and temperatures required for a high-quality training block.
Training without giving up the family holiday
Anfi Emerald Club’s suites include kitchens, washing machines and private terraces — details that may sound ordinary in tourism marketing but become highly practical during a multi-day or multi-week training stay. Restaurants, supermarkets, golf and leisure facilities also mean that a sports trip does not necessarily have to be separated from a family holiday.
Gran Canaria as an outdoor gym
Anfi Sports Academy only makes full sense when connected to the island around it. Running, cycling and open-water swimming turn Gran Canaria itself into an extension of the resort’s facilities. That combination is reshaping the idea of a sports destination: it is no longer only about building a gym or a pool, but about connecting accommodation, infrastructure and landscape.
That is why Anfi fits the idea behind this TriSpain section so naturally: train where other people go on holiday. Sports tourism is no longer driven only by race calendars; increasingly, it also belongs to the months spent preparing for them.
Sources: official information from Anfi Sports Academy and Anfi Group. Photo: Anfi / Anfi Sports Academy.