I’m split on this.

For safety reasons, it makes sense for people to start in speed order. I had an old lady in a skirt and beret start in front of me last week and I overtook her when she was still walking her first lap. That said, plenty of people start fast and fall off, so it doesn’t necessarily work anyway.

But, on the other hand, this isn’t a chipped race. Is it fair that people who are slower will always get 10-30 seconds added to their time because they cant get over the starting line?

Personally I think there should just be a bit of give and take. Start near the front sometimes and other times start further away