I have a little self-made tradition: every year, I join at least one running event. Two years ago, I was ambitious and signed up for four races in a single year. Last year, I went for the Helsinki Marathon. And this year, I decided to take the ferry across the Gulf of Finland and join the Tallinn 10K.

I traveled the day before the race. It was enough time to pick up my bib, check into my hotel, enjoy a slow evening, and indulge in the ritual of carbo-loading. Everything went smoothly, until I realized one thing: this 10K didn’t start in the morning like most runs I’d done before. Instead, it began at 2 PM.

It was my first time experiencing an afternoon start and I had mixed feelings about it.

Why I Liked Running at 2 PM

The biggest plus was that it felt a lot like my usual workouts. I’m used to running in the late afternoon, so my body wasn’t shocked by an early alarm or a cold morning start. By 2 PM, my muscles were awake, my energy levels were steady, and everything felt familiar.

Why I Didn’t Like It

But here’s the thing, I’m a “get-it-done-first” kind of person. I prefer tackling the highlight of the day early, then enjoying the rest of my time more freely. With a 2 PM start, my morning felt stuck in limbo.

I couldn’t go out exploring, especially since it was raining heavily in the morning. I also wanted to save my energy and avoid catching a chill before the race. So instead of sightseeing, I stayed in the hotel, waiting.

Lunch became another challenge. I needed to eat around 11 AM to give my stomach time to digest before running, but many of the restaurants I truly wanted to try only opened at noon. That left me with limited choices, and eating lunch while constantly calculating digestion time wasn’t exactly relaxing.

If the run had been in the morning, it would have been different. I could have raced, taken a shower, and then spent the afternoon wandering around Tallinn’s bookshops, cafés, and hidden corners. Instead, I only managed to explore a bookstore after the race, later in the evening, because by then there was no other option.

---

For a morning person like me, and a tourist at the same time, a 2 PM running event felt tricky. While I appreciated how natural it felt for my body, I also missed out on exploring Tallinn the way I’d hoped. Still, it was a memorable experience, and I can now say I’ve run my first-ever afternoon race. Next time, though, I think I’ll go back to chasing the sunrise at the starting line.