Open Water

Leicester Triathlon Club run open water swimming

at King Lear Lake located at Watermead Park, Syston

The open water sessions run from May until the end of October. The sessions are run on Saturdays 7.30am - 9.30am and Wednesday evening from 6.30pm – 8.30pm.
The club doesn’t charge for these sessions but you have to be a member of the club to swim for insurance purposes, and as a condition set by the Council. We have also introduced a £2 one off payment (paid at your first swim) to contribute towards the monthly water testing.

Please read the normal operating procedures below before swimming

And also in accordance with new BTF guidelines our Emergency Action Plan

To swim you will need to complete an open water disclaimer form (valid for one season). Download form here. OPEN WATER SWIMMING DISCLAIMER 2012. On your first swim of the year, please bring along the completed disclaimer form. If for any reason you can’t download the disclaimer form, there are copies lakeside available.

To become a Member of LTC visit our membership page where you will be directed to Entry Central who manage our online membership details.

Normal Operating Procedures (NOP)

Procedures for conducting an open water training session are written down here. These will also act as guidelines for the person running the session.  The measures outlined should be enforced at all sessions.

Listed below are a few guidelines that Leicester Tri Club have adopted.  It is important that the guidelines below are checked to ensure that they are fit for purpose and that everyone on the club committee agrees on the way club open water sessions are to be conducted. Further points may need to be added therefore this document is a constant ‘work in progress’.

Background Information:

  • Description of venue – King Lear Lake
  • Nature of water – Lake
  • Contact details for owner / operator – Park rangers (Dale or Jenny) 0116 2671944
  • Average water temperatures for period of use between 14 – 26°C
  • Water quality – Good as tested July 2010
  • Access arrangements for club – The club can gain access from the slipway accessible via the main carpark.
  • Access arrangements for emergency vehicles – Emergency access as above.
  • Emergency Action Plan (see below and separate Club safety measures doc).
  • Use by other activities – (Newfoundland dogs train after our Saturday session)

Emergency Action Plan (EAP)

This document will outline the process and procedures to go through in the event of an accident or potentially dangerous changes in circumstances.

  1. The nominated Safety Officer for the session is responsible for calling the emergency services should an accident occur.
  2. All swimmers are to be made aware of the LTC openwater swim code of conduct.
  3. If the weather becomes too dangerous to carry on (e.g. fog comes over/ or an electrical storm starts) each swimmer will be notified by the safety officer when they make a complete circumference around the lake (back to the start). A long blast of the Klaxon will be sounded and a red flag waved by spotters in the event of a lightning storm when ALL swimmers must exit the lake immediately.
  4. The nominated Safety Officer will contact the safety spotters to carry out a rescue, if required, and the safety officer will notify the emergency services.