Brighton Marathon Weekend kicks off the traditional Spring marathon season – in Autumn! With most mass participation events postponed due to the Covid pandemic, Brighton will be the biggest race this year and the first chance for our domestic endurance athletes to shine.

With 2020 being a fallow year due to coronavirus restrictions, the winners from 2019 were Peter Le Grice (Bristol & West, 2:16:22) – in a British athlete's course record – and Helen Davies (Ipswich Jaffa, 2:34:06). Both athletes set their still current personal bests in the race.

The accompanying BM10K produced course records for GB international winners – Nick Goolab (Belgrave Harriers, 28:22 PB) and Steph Twell (Aldershot, 31:57).

So we know Brighton is a fast course and the weather forecast for the seaside resort favoured by royalty – the Royal Pavilion was built for the future King George IV – looks promising for the anticipated 20,000 competitors on Sunday 12th September. 

The 10th Brighton Marathon on 14th April 2019 earned itself the title of the eighth-largest marathon in Europe and the supporting 10K, which carried England Championships status, put down a strong claim to be Britain's biggest and fastest 10K.

Of course, Brighton Marathon Weekend is about much more than the elite athletes it attracts. The magnificent Beach Village and Expo opens at 10:00am on Friday (10th September) and stays open until 6:00pm on Sunday (12th September). Here you will find retail opportunities, food and drink, the big screen, sports massage, and the Charity Village.

There are a few changes to the programme this year and one of the most significant is the BM10K now starts just prior to Brighton Marathon on Sunday morning. The Brighton Mini Mile races supporting Chestnut Tree House are on Saturday afternoon in Preston Park.

If you have missed out on an entry this year but are coming to watch, why not take advantage of entries opening for Brighton Marathon 2022 at 10:00am this Friday on the app and online?

Here's a link to the official Brighton Marathon Weekend event guide

Look out for our race reports and results on runABC South next week.

Image courtesy Brighton Marathon Weekend