London Aquatics Centre: 50 m pool training for triathletes

The London Aquatics Centre in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, has two 50 m pools, one for competition and one for training, plus diving. It opens Monday to Sunday from 06:00 to 22:00, with some event closures between October and December, and you book online through Everyone Active.

For triathletes in East London, a 50 m pool is a good place to build swim fitness, especially in winter when open water options shrink. This page sets out what the official site said on 6 October 2026, how to use a long-course pool for triathlon training and which other East London pools are worth knowing.

London Aquatics Centre at a glance

The official site names Everyone Active, the brand of Sports & Leisure Management Ltd, as the operator. Because the venue hosts events, check the timetable before you travel in the autumn months. The pages we read did not give swim prices or parking details, so check those on the London Aquatics Centre website or when you book.

Using the London Aquatics Centre training pool for triathlon

A 50 m pool suits triathlon training because you turn less often than in a 25 m pool. Each length is closer to continuous swimming, which is what you do in a race. It also makes distances easy to count: a sprint triathlon swim in a pool is 400 m under British Triathlon rules, and a standard (Olympic) distance swim is 1,500 m, or 30 lengths.

The sessions below are general guidance. Pick the ones that match your plan and level. Our sprint triathlon training plan and Olympic triathlon training plan show how swim sessions fit into a full week.

Steady distance

Swim your race distance, or a little more, at a pace you could hold for the whole swim. The aim is calm, even effort and good form when you are tired. It shows you how race day will feel.

Repeats

Swim sets such as 8 x 100 m or 5 x 200 m with short rests at the wall. Keep each repeat at the same pace. Repeats build speed and teach you what race effort feels like.

Technique and sighting

Spend part of a session on drills that suit your stroke, such as catch-up, where one hand waits in front until the other arrives, or swimming with a closed fist to feel the forearm pull. Practise sighting too: every few strokes, lift your eyes forward, as if spotting a buoy, then carry on. In open water you cannot follow a line on the floor, so this habit matters.

Bilateral breathing

Breathing to both sides helps you swim straighter and lets you breathe away from waves or other swimmers. Practise it on easy lengths.

Lane etiquette

Public lane swimming works best when everyone follows the same habits. The points below are general. Always follow the signs and staff at the pool.

• Choose a lane that matches your speed. Lanes are often marked slow, medium and fast.
• Swim in the direction shown, usually clockwise, keeping to one side of the lane.
• If a faster swimmer touches your feet, let them pass at the next wall.
• When you rest, stay at the side or corner of the wall so others can turn.
• Push off after the swimmer ahead has a clear gap, not right behind them.
• Ask before using fins or paddles, as some sessions do not allow them.

Other pools in East London

These are the other East London pools we checked on 6 October 2026. None of their pages stated prices, so check with the operator.

London Fields Lido, Hackney

Better runs this 50 m lido at London Fields West Side, E8 3EU. It is heated all year and floodlit, with lane swimming every day (times not stated on the page). Hours for the week of 5 October 2026 were Monday to Sunday, 06:30 to 21:00. You book through the Better website or app, with membership or pay-as-you-go. London Fields and Hackney Downs Overground stations are nearby, as are Hackney Central and Bethnal Green.

Mile End Park Leisure Centre and Stadium

Be Well runs this centre at 190 Burdett Road, E3 4HL, for Tower Hamlets. It has a 25 m pool and a teaching pool. Centre hours are Monday to Friday, 06:00 to 22:00, and weekends 08:00 to 18:00. Swim times were not stated, so check the Be Well app or website.

Clissold Leisure Centre

Better runs Clissold Leisure Centre at 63 Clissold Road, N16 9EX. The main pool is kept at 26 °C; its length was not stated on the page. The training pool was temporarily closed when we checked. Main pool hours are Monday to Friday 06:00 to 22:00, Saturday 07:00 to 20:00 and Sunday 07:00 to 18:00.

York Hall Leisure Centre

York Hall, at 5 Old Ford Road, E2 9PJ, has a 33 m pool and a teaching pool, run by Be Well. When we checked, its page carried a notice saying it was temporarily closed because of a water supply issue. Check the Be Well page before you go.

Combining pool and open water

Pool sessions build fitness and technique. Open water sessions teach sighting, wetsuit swimming and cold water. Most triathletes need both, especially before a first open water race. When the season allows, add a supervised open water session every week or two. Our guide to open water swimming in London lists the venues, and the Lee Valley VeloPark road circuit is in the same park if you want to add a bike session on the same day.

Frequently asked questions