Born in Mallorca, Toni Cortés, our colleague and Assistant General Manager at the Zafiro Palace Alcudia Hotel, completed his first Ironman 70.3 this year. Toni has been a member of the Zafiro Hotels team ever since the company started, and sees himself as "a person who has always worked hard to get ahead."

He started working in the hotel industry as a waiter when he was very young, combining work with his studies. In this #ZafiroTeam interview, Toni talks about how hard work and dedication are key to achieving your goals, and also proposes Alcudia as one of the best destinations for training and sport.

First of all, congratulations! Finishing an Ironman race is a great achievement. What was it that made you decide to take part this year?

A while ago one of my friends was training for an Ironman competition and encouraged me to join him. Unfortunately, for health reasons at the time, I couldn’t keep up with him. After a while, that became a little thorn in my side, so I said to myself that I had to do something about it. That was my motivation, driven as always by a desire to work hard to get ahead.

And you started off knowing practically nothing about triathlons.

That’s right. I started reading about the three different events and preparing for IRONMAN with a long-term view rather than from one day to the next. Later on, I took part in my first ever race, the Palma Marathon, to see how it would feel, and I was very happy about it, which encouraged me to start swimming. I also started to train on the bike. I was lucky to find a group of cyclists in Alcudia and I joined in with their training sessions whenever I could. That’s when I began to train more intensely and prepare myself psychologically. You have to keep pretty good control of your diet, your feelings and sensations. 

The triathlon requires a lot of hours of training...

Yes, and combining training with my work and personal life has not always been easy. But as I always say, if you really, really want something, you can always achieve it. It is important to organise things well. As far as the family is concerned, I’m very lucky that my wife and daughter support me. If you like what you do, then you always try and find the time, even if it appears you don’t have it.

You actually trained a lot around here. What do you like most about Alcudia?

Alcudia has the perfect conditions for training: it’s a paradise for cycling, with plenty of climbs like La Victoria or Formentor and Lluc. They’re all very close by. It’s also a very safe place, and every year people are more and more aware about safety for cyclists on the roads. For running, you have the entire bay of Alcudia, and for swimming, the whole beach. It's perfect!

And the hotel as a meeting point. Why would you say that the Zafiro Palace Alcudia is a good option for triathletes?

The hotel has a great location, ideal for anyone who wants to train or do some sport. And it also has all the facilities you need: a 4-lane pool, a garage for cyclists with space for more than 400 bikes, assistance and a workshop, as well as the amazing comfort of all of our suites. For me, the hotel is also a paradise for triathletes.