Our first event, the Portsmouth Duathlon is Sunday.  Having received a very nice email from the organisers I was dismayed to read that I was required to register, collect my timing chip and rack my bike at 07:15am.

Now I don’t mind getting up early, and in fact during the week I get up at around 05:30am for work every day, but I fail to see what advantage there is to starting this event so early in the day.  Upon closer inspection of other events it appears that almost every triathlon race starts at the crack of dawn.

Perhaps this is so the lycra clad warriors do not scare the general public (who are sensibly still asleep at this time).  Perhaps it is because triathletes are essentially masochists, and getting up early is just another way to punish yourself.  Perhaps it is because a lot of events do not take place on closed roads, so starting early is a good way to avoid traffic issues.

Whatever it is it is too damn early.  

Rant over.  I am off to search out some triathlons that start in the afternoon.