Training

Swim, Bike, and Run! It’s as simple as that. Catering for juniors aged 5-16 our club promotes participation, fitness, fun and friendships.

Under British Triathlon’s guidance, our regular club training sessions aim to improve skills and techniques in swimming, cycling, and running to improve fitness in all three disciplines. We aim to prepare our juniors for triathlons, as well as cycling and running races.

Wakefield Junior Triathlon Club offers affordable coaching sessions in all three disciplines each week.

Running on Mondays at Thornes Park, Swimming at Sun Lane pool on Tuesdays, and a great traffic-free cycle session at BKCAT Cycle Track (St. Thomas a Beckett Secondary School) on Fridays.

Do you have a junior who loves swimming, running, cycling, or even all three? Do they fancy giving it a go?  Contact us for trial session details.

After the trial session (up to three sessions without commitment) if they want to join us session fees are only £4 each with an annual membership of as little as £30. There’s no weekly commitment, and the sessions offer competitively-priced training.

SWIM

Where: Sun Lane Pool, Wakefield
When : Tuesday, 7.00pm – 8.00pm

Cost : £4.00

To prepare our juniors for triathlons these sessions place a bigger emphasis on front crawl than the other swim strokes. Led by a qualified coach, the sessions progress through the year towards the race season. These sessions offer swim training to improve technique and fitness, they are not suitable for children who are learning to swim for the first time. We ask that all children attending are able to swim 100 continuous metres of a recognised stroke, preferably front crawl.

BIKE

Where: BKCAT Cycle Circuit (St. Thomas a Beckett School)

When: Friday, 6.00 pm – 7.00 pm (All Members), with an extended session till 8.00 pm for Experienced Riders.

Cost: £4.00

British Cycling structured sessions coached by qualified coaches.
Transition training is also included within the sessions as we approach the race season.

During the winter months, please ensure your child wears a correctly fitted helmet, plenty of layers (ideally high-vis or brightly coloured clothes) plus gloves, and a drink.

RUN

Where: Thornes Athletic Stadium

When: Monday, 6.15-7.15pm

Cost: £4.00

Tailored to the triathlon season, progressive sessions include drills to improve technique as well as fitness. Led by qualified coaches, transition practice is also included in the sessions as we approach the race season.

Training guidelines, clothing, and equipment

If you have any queries about equipment or clothing please speak to the coaches at any of the training sessions.

Swimming

A pair of good fitting goggles is essential. A drink should be brought to every session in a sports bottle with a closed cap, this can be left at the end of the lane during the session and small drinks taken regularly between sets. During some sessions fins (small flippers) are used for kicking drills, the club has a small stock of these which can be borrowed, if you have your own please bring them along.

Running

Most of the running is done on the track. All you need is a good pair of running shoes, a drink, and a few extra layers of clothes in the winter time

Cycling

Ideally, all riders will have their own bike which they will bring to each session. If you do not have a bike, the club has a small stock of club cyclo-cross bikes which can be hired for a fee of £40 for three months with a £50 refundable deposit. Bikes are picked up at the beginning of your hire period and deposited at the end of your hire period at Thornes Park track on a Monday evening. A hire agreement form must be signed prior to borrowing club bikes.  Please speak to the coaches or a member of the committee about the availability of club bikes. The bike would be your responsibility during the hire period and need to be covered under your house insurance. Full terms and conditions are on the hire document.

We stay on the track for most of the year. We occasionally complete our training in Thornes Park or at Pugneys. If you are purchasing a new bike please speak to the coaches who can advise you about the most suitable options. For many of the children, a cyclocross bike is ideal as with a change of tyres it doubles up as an off-road cycle and a road cycle.

A cycle helmet must be worn at all times when cycling at any club session. All junior triathlons and cycle races also require helmets to be worn.

Our bike sessions at BKCAT run all year round and are only cancelled if the weather conditions are very poor. This means that appropriate clothing is required for various times of the year. Gloves, fingerless or full should be worn all year round. Fingerless gloves/mits are not appropriate for cold conditions, full gloves should be worn. For most of the year, full body cover should be worn including leggings and long sleeve tops and jackets. A rain jacket is worth having with you at all times. If you have plenty of layers to keep you warm you can always remove some of them, if you are cold and have no more clothing you stay cold!

Occasionally and more so as the triathlon season approaches, we will include transition practice as part of our cycling training in which case you will need to bring a pair of trainers too.