High Places, Small Gains, and the Greatest One of All

In the world of performance sport, success is rarely the result of one grand change. Instead, it’s the outcome of many small, purposeful adjustments — the pursuit of what we call marginal gains. From optimising sleep to shaving grams off a bike frame, from tracking glucose levels to perfecting pedal strokes, athletes have become scientists in their own right, constantly chasing the elusive 1%.

Altitude training is one of these gains, and arguably one of the more powerful. Living and training at altitude stimulates the production of red blood cells, enhancing the body’s ability to transport oxygen. For endurance athletes, this translates to improved aerobic capacity and performance at sea level. It’s science-backed, physically demanding, and strategically planned — a method to gain an edge where fractions of a second matter.

But for all its physiological benefits, altitude training offers something else, something often left off the spreadsheets and training logs: perspective.

There’s something transformative about being in the mountains. Removed from the noise and pace of everyday life, altitude doesn’t just thin the air — it strips away the unnecessary. Suddenly, what matters becomes clearer. You move slower, breathe deeper, feel smaller — and somehow, more whole.

And maybe that’s the real marginal gain.

Because here’s the paradox: while sport encourages us to control, quantify, and optimise everything, some of the most powerful performance enhancements come from the things we can’t measure — time spent in nature, space for reflection, laughter with loved ones around a fire, deep sleep in silence far from notifications. These things don’t fit neatly into a training block, but they fortify us just the same.

In a world obsessed with progress, simplicity is radical. Choosing stillness, connection, and presence in an age of endless optimisation might be the biggest performance enhancer of all. It strengthens mental resilience, balances the nervous system, deepens joy, and prevents burnout — things that no wearable can track, but every athlete feels.

So yes, chase marginal gains. Dial in your nutrition, analyse your power data, go to altitude. But don’t forget to zoom out. Because sometimes, stepping away from the metrics and into the mountains — with your people, your breath, your quiet — is the gain you didn’t know you needed.

In the end, we’re not machines to be perfected. We’re human beings. And the most successful athletes? They’re the ones who remember that.