John Duke, who lives in Cardiff, is a morning person. A very early morning person. He rises predawn to communicate with business contacts in Europe, Asia and Australia, then starts training by 5 a.m.

CRISSY PASQUAL / Union-Tribune In his weekly regimen, John Duke often follows a morning run with a bike ride.

Chronologically, here's a recent day in the life of Duke.

3:50: Awakes to the sound of his coffee maker grinding beans.

3:50-4:50: Reads Union-Tribune and The Wall Street Journal. Communicates with business associates by e-mail and video computer.

Regarding the flood of pre-5 a.m. e-mails he dispatches to editors, ad executives and production and circulation personnel who work in San Diego, Duke said, “It's a good way to set the table at work. All my employees haven't woken up, and I'm already getting them going. Maybe they hate it. Maybe they don't. But they're used to it.”

5:10-6:10: Runs about 6½ miles with friend Ron Kimura at an easy 9½ -minute-per-mile pace.

6:15-7:30: Cycles along the coast with Kimura.

John Duke file Job: Vice president/print media Competitor Group. Age: Will not state, except “over 50.” Athletic background: Eight-time Ironman Hawaii finisher. Personal best: 10 hours, 4 minutes. Weekly workout: Runs 40 miles, rides 100-150 miles, swims 11 miles. Quote: “I like training for two reasons. One, it keeps me fit. And all my friends are people I train with.”

Swimming, biking and running form the base of Duke's workout routine. He has raced Ironman Hawaii eight times, first competing at Kona in October 1982.

“I was pretty much just a surfer (in '82),” Duke said. “I wasn't that much into fitness. A friend convinced me if I did Ironman, it'd be a great way to meet hot chicks. It didn't dawn on me until I got to Kona there might be easier ways to meet chicks than do an Ironman.”

8-noon: Works in Mira Mesa.

12:15-1:20: Swims at the Encinitas YMCA, where lanes are assigned from slowest to fastest swimmers.

“I probably swim one lane slower than I could if I were (training for) racing,” said Duke, who's nicknamed “The Devil” because of his blunt personality. “I swim whatever pace the prettiest girls are swimming in Lane 5. Many of the most famous, beautiful women (in triathlon) go to Lane 5. I'm really sad when they get too fast to swim with me.”

1:30-3:15: Works in Sorrento Valley. (Duke, who is single, normally stays at the office until 6:30, but he was scheduled to meet his personal trainer for a once-a-week session.)

3:30-4:30: Lifts weights with trainer, focusing almost entirely on the upper body. “I tried lifting weights on my own,” he said. “I'd go 20 minutes, leave and didn't even get sore. This guy crushes me. He's a complete knuckle-dragger. He's 280 pounds, doesn't shave and gnarly. He knows how to hurt me.”

4:45-6:30: Works in Mira Mesa.

Duke last competed at Ironman Hawaii in 2002, ending an 11-year absence from racing the event.

“I had a 10-year sabbatical of debauchery,” he said. “I was drinking. I was totally out of shape, up to 195 pounds. (At 6 feet 1, he now weighs 170.) I became a non-athlete. I just got sick of myself.”

When a photographer complained that Duke was smiling too often when he was lifting weights, he said he smiles during most workouts because at this stage of his life he keeps the intensity moderate.

“I see people riding with a grimace on their face, that's where I turn the volume down,” he said. “If you can't have a good time training, you're not going to last long. It's onerous. If it's pleasurable and fun, it'll keep you in the game longer. Obviously, it's kept me in the game 30 years.”

8:30: To bed.

Don Norcross: (619) 293-1803; don.norcross@uniontrib.com