calendar icon Nov 14, 2024

Marathon Details - Brighton Marathon

International Marathons > United Kingdom > Brighton > Brighton Marathon

Brighton Marathon

Brighton Marathon & 10K

location icon Brighton, United Kingdom

calendar icon April 6, 2025

calendar icon http://www.brightonmarathonweekend.co.uk/events/brighton-marathon

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Contact Information

Name:
Address: The Grounded Events Company Ltd.
3rd Floor, Phoenix House,
32 West Street, Brighton BN1 2RT
Phone Number:  08453 100088
Email: Email the organizers

Runner Reviews (23)

Course Rating Course 4.0 
 
Oranization Rating Organization 4.4 
 
Spectator Rating Spectators 4.8 
 
 
Number of comments: 23 [displaying comments 1 to 11]
More Comments: [ < 1 2 > ]

 

K. S. from London, England (9/13/2021)
"Brighton Marathon 2021 with the extra 1/3 of mile" (about: 2021)

50+ previous marathons | 3 Brighton Marathons
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


It was hot humid day on Sunday 13 September 2021. Plenty of fluids at the Water Station (NB They did not ran out of Water).

The Spectators went crazy and wild. It was such a Great atmosphere.

I was running okay then at about mile 21 I somehow tripped up landed straight onto my face which took majority of the impact. (My worst fall so far) I could not get up because I fell so hard and was shock but about 3 kind young Men helped me up. I was was not the same Runner after that terrible fall but managed to complete the race with blood streaming down my swollen, painful face straight onto my running vest and my body, which caused me to be very thirsty.

The Brighton Medics saw me and took me into their centre and cleaned up the blood and glued up my split and painful lips. I was advised to go to the hospital which I reluctantly did.

I end up being admitted overnight in hospital. I'm home now with bulging lips just like Bart Simpson.

Apparently Brighton Marathon Runners ran an extra 1/3 of mile extra this year. I and other Runners notices the miles went out sync starting from mile 10. After saying that I did noticed vast improvements in Brighton Marathon organisation. But we still had to pick up our numbers Friday or Saturday before the race!

 

C. L. from Washington, dc (4/25/2018)
"Well organized and supported tour of the coast" (about: 2018)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Brighton Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


I came from the US to run this race and visit friends who live in Hove. They picked up my race packet, so I can't really comment on the event village pre-race day. The shirt is nice, but ran VERY small. I thought it was just me, but enough people had an issue that the organizers did reach out and offer to send us properly fitting shirts after the event. Time will tell if they show up or not.

Organization: my friend dropped me off very early to avoid street closures (he lives on the course). It was a cool, cloudy and breezy morning. The start area was very well organized and marked. I and a few other early arrivals huddled inside the women's changing tent to keep warm. From inside we could hear the announcements and music. Once it was closer to start time I went out, did the line for the bathroom which moved quickly. The race start was well organized in different colored waves which were enforced. Start went off on time. There were plenty of water stops and gel stations along the course in addition to the spectators handing out gummy candy. At the finish I was quickly handed my medal and goody bag and ushered into the race village to meet up with friends. I was too tired and just wanted to get out of there and take a shower, but the finish area was well arranged. Lots of charity runners for this race and each group had a tent for their runners in addition to other food vendors and people selling race gear, etc.

Course: the course had a LOT of out and back sections, some of them quite long. There also is a very industrial section at the end which can be a bit depressing. However, the rest runs along the beautiful coastline or through some very supportive neighborhoods. People here LOVE this race! We had cloudy weather and at the end, at least for me and I was a SLOW run/walker, it poured down rain with some strong wind for about 5-10 mins. If it was a sunny or warm day, this course would be deadly as there is ZERO and I mean ZERO shade. You run at least half of it or more on the road that lines the coast, so beach on one side and dunes on the other. No trees.

Would I do it again? Yes, I was very, very undertrained and had a miserably slow finish time. I would love to go back and run it when I am in marathon shape. London is a week later and gets all the press but Brighton is a gem worth checking out. It sells out fast too!

 

Karen Samuel from London, England (4/17/2017)
"It was 25 degrees Hot!" (about: 2017)

11-50 previous marathons | 2 Brighton Marathons
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


Bad Points about Brighton Marathon

There were 2 days only for picking up race number and chip Friday & Saturday before race day.

Queues to pick up your numbers were very long

Some items in Brighton expo centre were overly priced.

On race day the queues for the toilets were horrendous and were snaking all over Preston park. There were insufficient toilets and one female claimed she used the male urinal.

There was A HILL within the first mile of the race.

Some water stations were struggling with the demands for water in cups a few stations had no water in the cups.

Some runners were taking 2 litre bottles of water from water the water stations and drinking from it. There were not enough Staff at the water stations and it were a little chaotic in places. I personally did not think there were enough energy drinks were given out. The energy drink were clear like the water which caused a bit confusion for myself and I think maybe for other runners.

Did they give out wet sponges???
(I can't remember)

Insufficent shuttle buses


Great points

The Spectators were just were fantastico they were very loud & vocal.

There were Steel pans Drummers live Music and many other activities to motivate the over heated runners.

Many Running Clubs including mine came along to support us from the beginning and to the end of the Brighton Marathon and majority of the supporters from my Club are also Marathon Runners!

Some gels were given out during race.

There were great support from St.John Ambulance & NHS Ambulance, Nurses and Doctors. Not forgetting the support from The Army.

Brillant idea with the Tracking chip for the Brighton Marathon Runners.

Great Goody bag food drinks and the famous or infamous Gatwick bottle.

The Brighton Marathon Medal is a real beauty.

I may have ran The Trindad Marathon this year but I still can't get use to the tropical heat in Brighton ;0P

The Runners are very friendly.

Well Done Brighton I still got the Buzz and Adrenaline from Running Brighton Marathon.

Just one more thing RESPECT TO THE RHINO RUNNER!

 

M. w. from London (5/1/2016)
"DISAPPOINTING COURSE" (about: 2016)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Brighton Marathon
COURSE: 2  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 4


The one thing I hate about marathons is the bits when you double back on yourself.. running out, seeing the faster people running back.. knowing you still have to come back the way you came... I would say 70% of Brighton is like this.. not too bad in the first half.. but about mile 21 when you are running along what can only be described as an industrial estate, and seeing the people coming back and willing the turn to happen.. that just doesn't come.. was absolutely soul destroying.. I have NEVER hit a mental wall in my 33 marathons.. this time I did..!!! But I suppose that is part and parcel of the marathon challenge...!! That aside, the organisation at the start was OK.. but more toilets were needed.. the crowds were fantastic, and the finish on the pier was fab.. ! But when I asked for another bottle of water (which was only a 330ml bottle).. I was told I couldn't have one, and would have to find a tap to fill it up... having run 26.2 miles in the sun.. I expected more! Also it was very overcrowded and took ages to get through the finish, while dehydrating with my 1 bottle of water.. It's another marathon ticked off.. but definitely NOT in my top 20.. I think it would struggle to get in my top 30! Shame because I'm sure Brighton has a lot more to offer..!

 

D. G. from Omaha, Nebraska, USA (4/19/2016)
"Fantastic spectators, mostly good course, fair org" (about: 2016)

6-10 previous marathons | 1 Brighton Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 2  FANS: 5


Pros:
- incredible crowd; so loud, great mood
- first 17-18 miles good mix of exciting crowd in old town and scenic along coast
- bag dropoff and pick up was very easy
- last mile had lots of loud spectators

Cons:
- bag pickup was a disaster. Took more than 40mins to get to front of line. Volunteers were all nice, but overwhelmed by number of runners
- last out and back through industrial harbor and power is brutal. Ugly, windy, and no crowd.
- exiting the finish chute was rough - too small for the crowd

 

A. G. from London (7/17/2015)
"Nice alternative to London" (about: 2015)

11-50 previous marathons | 4-5 Brighton Marathons
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 4


I've run this race a few times now and always enjoy it. The course is undulating but nothing too testing. Crowd support seems to grow each year and the organization is always fairly good.
The finish tends to be congested - this year they funneled us onto the beach which seemed to make it even worse. several reviews mention the road camber as a problem but I can't say I have noticed it.
Will be back for 2016

 

S. S. from London,England (4/12/2015)
"Definitely Not Flat" (about: 2015)

2 previous marathons | 1 Brighton Marathon
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 5


I am not sure why the media keep saying the course is flat as it definitely is not. It is impossible to have a flat course in Brighton.

If you have run another flat city marathon or even a half marathon before you know what a flat course is. This wouldn't have bothered me so much if there was not a strange camber to the coastal road as well. There was simply no crown to most of it. So not only are you are running on an incline you are also running on a curve. It just made the course too painful and tiring. I actually purposely did some of my training on a hilly route where I live but there is absolutely no where I could mimic the odd coastal road.

The out and back route of the course didn't bother me as I rather run out and back than loops. I actually enjoy seeing the elite runners the other side as that is the closest I get to them unless they start the race and give hi-fives. Poor Jo Pavey must have sore hands.

One thing that annoyed me was the lack of signage at the expo. Simple signs, rather than lackluster volunteers, directing people to the right place from the front door would be more efficient. Then again my previous marathon events have been European city ones.

The spectators were great especially the kids. Some even made the effort to come out to the power station. This is obviously due to previous complaints of no one being around between miles 20-23.

Be warned that while there is plenty of fluid. The water is given out in half cups at all water stations, you will either be given a bottle of Gatorade or a half cup depending on the water station, and the gels are often given out after the water.

 

M. L. from London, England (4/8/2014)
"Nice alternative to London" (about: 2014)

6-10 previous marathons | 1 Brighton Marathon
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 5


Living in London and not getting a ballot entry to the London marathon for more years than I can remember, I decided to travel an hour south and run Brighton this year.

Although it was supposed to rain for the event the rains never came and the sun actually came out briefly just after I finished. Overall I found the race to be rather average in terms of the expo and the course but the spectators were amazing and Paula Radcliffe was at the start line!

The expo was nothing special but I guess it is not fair to compare it to the big city races like NY, Paris or London. The course begins in a park and has a sharp left turn after start which created a bottle neck and I actually slowed to a walk for a few seconds... The first mile or so was busy until we spread out a bit. I was running in the sub 4 hour group which seemed to include everyone from 3:59 to sub 3:00 runners so maybe this could be improved for future races.

Generally, the course was ok with nice views along the coast but there are numerous long out and back sections. I did not study the course map much pre-race and did not realise how far some of the out and back sections were; this proved to be mentally draining when seeing the elites running on the other side of the road knowing it must be a long way before I catch up to that section. The coastal road is also not level in a few sections (presumably in case of heavy rain) and this can wear down your knees after a few miles. The central area of the course has a lot of support from spectators with a lot of people cheering (I have never seen so many spectators handing out candy and gels!). The problem is right when you start to fade at mile 20 or so, there are no more spectators because the race runs through a long industrial section. The industrial section is also out and back and it never seemed to end... By mile 23 the pier is in sight and the crowds were back with a large well supported finish line.

The overall organisation was good with a lot of information provided in emails pre race. There were more than enough water and gatorade stations and the bag drop-off and pick up was terrific considering the start and finish are in different locations. The finishers medal is very nice but the cotton T shirt is a bit weak. There was a (crowded) beach village with a big screen which was also very nice. This was the fifth addition of the race so I'm sure it will continue to improve.

 

H. S. from London, England (4/28/2013)
"At Capacity" (about: 2013)

6-10 previous marathons | 1 Brighton Marathon
COURSE: 2  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 5


The out and back route in some stretches was very irritating as four runners could block progress or cause concertina effect especially on inclines. The heavily cambered roads were hard on the knees and ankles and running on the crown of the road often meant fighting through people to get to the water stops etc.
I think this particular marathon is already at its capacity unless you enjoy running elbow to elbow.
Overpriced and a peanut bar and a cotton finishers t shirt was not much of a goody bag.

 

a. g. from london england (4/20/2013)
"Fast course with a couple of challenging bits" (about: 2013)

6-10 previous marathons | 3 Brighton Marathons
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


Third time I have done this one and still my PB course. More or less flat (apart from a bit of a slope up to Ovingdean) but seems to be quite psychologically challenging around the powerstation out and back. Well organised and well supported. Quite a large chunky medal as well.

 

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