be first off the mark

[whocanhelpme]

"None of the other teams have started training yet;
we're going to be first off the mark this year" what is "be first off the mark" meaning?. Thank a lot.

 

[probus]

It means "we shall start before any of the others." The reference is to a running race. All the athletes start from a fixed line, "the mark". The one who moves quickest when the starting gun fires is "first off the mark."

 

[whocanhelpme]

Thank you so much, please help me check my errors in my new thread.