Serpentine Triathlon Training

For the last 10 years we've operated a squad system whereby athletes have joined a squad with a view to training and racing triathlon during the season. In recent years the numbers joining the squad(s) have fallen. We believe this is due to the commitment levels involved, while at the same time the numbers interested in triathlon have remained stable within the club. With this in mind we've decided to evolve the squad system opening all training and theory sessions to the whole club to get more people involved with triathlon training and racing. This page explains how you can get involved with triathlon and multisport at Serpentine from coached and uncoached training sessions to the racing side.

What training sessions are there? 

Serpentine currently offers a large number of weekly training sessions, the full list of which can be found here. There are a number of sessions which triathletes will benefit from and these are highlighted below:

Swim training - 2 weekly sessions. Monday 8.30pm to 9.30pm at Seymour and Thursday 8.00pm to 9.00pm at St Pancras. Further details on these sessions can be found here and here. Once the water has warmed up in the late Spring there are specific coached open water sessions at Shepperton Lake.

Cycle training - 2 weekly sessions. Wednesday spin at Seymour and a weekly long endurance ride on Sunday's.

Run training - Serpentine was historically a running club so the number and variety of run sessions is great. The following sessions are recommended; Tuesday track training at Paddington; either Greenwich or Hampstead Hills on Saturday mornings; the monthly Handicap race held in Hyde Park on the first Saturday morning of each month.

Using the above you can easily see how you can plan a weeks worth of training with sessions every day except Friday.

Theory and other sessions

In addition to the above there will also be a number of other sessions designed to help you get the most of your season. These are listed below:

Training theory / goals setting and season training planning sessions - during January and Febuary there will be a series of weekly sessions designed to help you plan your training around your goals while helping you understand some of the training theory.

Transition training - often called the 4th discipline of triathon. There will be sessions designed to help you speed up the all important transition phase.

Who can attend the training sessions?Triathlon runner

Any club member can attend any of the sessions listed above or on the diary page. These sessions are suitable for all abilities from complete novices to those with more ambitious goals such as ITU age group qualification and Kona. The sessions are also suitable whatever distance race you are training for.

How can I get involved with Triathlon racing?

There are loads of races to choose from during the year. However there are a few that the club does focus on. 

Firstly, there are the 6 club championship races details of which can be found here.

Secondly, there is the London League race series. This is a series of 12/13 races consisting of triathlons, duathlons and aquathlons taking place throughout the London region from April to October each year. There are prizes for the top athletes in each 5 year age groups in addition to club prizes for male, female and mixed teams, as well as a mob match prize for the club with the most athletes racing.

Thirdly, there are the National Relays in Nottingham. This is just about the most fun you can have doing triathlon.

Finally, right on the doorstep is the Velopark duathlon race series at the Olympic Park.

Who are the coaches?

Photo of Richard Melik during IM SwitzerlandCoaching is delivered by a team of 10 coaches, all of whom have a passion for triathlon. Our coaches have collectively over 100 years of racing experience and over 40 years of coaching experience. There are 2 BTF level 3 coaches, 8 BTF level 2 coaches, as well as discipline specific coaches for the run sessions. All coaches are volunteers. Profiles for all coaches can be found on the Serpie website.

Where do we train?

In various London locations.

Swim sessions take place at the Seymour Pool, 8.30pm – 9.30pm on Monday and St Pancras Pool, 8.00pm – 9.00pm on Thursday. Open water swim sessions take place at Shepperton Lake on Saturday mornings as soon as the lake is open.

Run sessions take place at Paddington on Tuesday, 7.00pm – 8.00pm, Greenwich Park or Hampstead Heath for the Saturday morning hill sessions and in Hyde Park for the Handicap on the first Saturday morning of every month.

Bike spin sessions are at Seymour on Wednesday. Generally, the most common long endurance rides rotate between 3 areas of London; meeting at Roehampton Gate Cafe, Richmond Park to head out to Surrey; meeting at Hackney Town Hall to head out to Essex; meeting in Greenwich to head out to Kent.

Our theory sessions will take place at the Seymour Centre on Wednesday at 7.00pm. 

How much does it cost?

If you are already a club member the only extra costs will be for swimming which costs approx. £5 per session, and for spin which is £2 per session, otherwise all other sessions are free to attend. If you are not a member see the membership page here on how to join the club.

Committee contact

If you have any questions regarding triathlon training or racing please email Debbie Clarke: triathlon@serpentine.org.uk