Triathlete’s 20 Best Places To Live

by Features

Photo: Visit Carlsbad

Photo: Visit Carlsbad

No. 3: Carlsbad, Calif. (and the North San Diego Area)

Population: 90,000
Median home price: $588,795

Why it’s on our list: San Diego gets all the credit for being a tri mecca, but the city itself is congested for many multisporters. About 40 miles up the coast you’ll find the City of Carlsbad as well as a ton of triathletes. Some of our sport’s all-time greats like Michellie Jones, Paula Newby-Fraser, Scott Tinley, Heather Fuhr and Kate Major have all made San Diego’s North County home for good reasons: The weather is unbeatable; the Pacific is way more exciting than a pool; and you can never run out of people to train with.

The terrain in and around Carlsbad makes it almost impossible not to add variety to your training. On the coast you’ll find your flat roads, about 10 miles inland you’ll find endless short-and-steep hills and about 40 miles inland you’ll find punishing climbs like Palomar Mountain.

Live here if: You don’t think 70 degrees and sunny skies would ever get old.

Don’t live here if: You only race off-road. You can find some OK running trails near Carlsbad, but most mountain bikers will be disappointed with North County’s lack of legitimate riding trails.

Click the numbers below to see the rest of the top 20.

  • faberk
    what about las vegas - not a good place to train?
  • Oakland/Berkeley is the number one city for triathletes. Oakland has the best weather in the US, bar none. It has a very active cycling community, tons of good mountain bike and running trails, and opportunities for open water swimming. It is close enough to San Francisco for those who feel the need to go there, but the weather is much better over here.
  • Maineah
    Having lived in both cities, how Providence makes this list over Portland, ME is beyond me:

    1. Portland is just without question a more fun and more liveable city - better bars, better coffee shops, better food, better art.
    2. The riding is infinitely more varied, more scenic and more challenging. Coastal and rural rides are within several miles of the heart of downtown. Nasty climbers into the whites or rollers in the bigelows are all doable as day trips.
    3. The city boasts a 5k cinder running track that surrounds a salt-water flat and is immediately adjacent to downtown.
    4. Better retail and coaching support.
    5. Better and growing network of local tri's, road races and ski races.
    6. Atlantic ocean, 9 pools and several good open water swimming lakes within 15 miles of the city.
    7. Ample nordic skiing, snowshoeing and winter triathlon opportunities once the snow falls.
    8. No fewer than 7 premium, local microbrews
    9. Incredible local food to feed the engine.

    You guys are nuts.
  • thejaviman
    If you have never been to Tucson...you're missing out. I live in San Diego and only wish that when I come out to Tucson and Nogales, that I would bring along my bike (I normally come out only for a day or so for family functions). The rolling hills and straight-aways are amazing out here. Also, there are numerous easily accessible lakes that allow for year-round swimmimg. If you're interested in an awesome rolling hill workout, check out Pendlton Drive in Rio Rico, AZ, which is just south of Tucson. You have 20 + miles of non-stop rolling hills that can lead right into Pena Blanca lake for an awesome swim. The lake was recently emptied and clean-up.
  • Nick
    Have you lot ever been outside of the US?

    There is a whole world outside with great places to live!
  • Chris
    This list is pretty stupid, you have cities in a desert and then Bellvue and Wisconsin, DC? These are all places where it's nice for about 4 months of the year. You have no pics in Florida? This should be the list for people who like trainers and bad weather. Bellvue washington???? Where it's rainy and 40 degrees for 8 months? What kind of handouts did the athur of this article get from all these horrible places to be an outdoor enthusiast in?
  • TDT
    Let's see - Phoenix at #1 is dangerously hot the majority of the year and Boulder at #2 you can't do any outdoor training for 4+ months of the year. Carlsbad, CA - perfect weather year round, the biggest swimming pool ever in your backyard and endless number of other tri geeks to train with...how is it not #1???
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