Running News Daily

Paula Radcliffe to open Brighton Marathon

Three-time London Marathon winner Paula Radcliffe and Paralympic gold medallist David Weir are the official starters of this year’s Brighton Marathon weekend.

Radcliffe, who set a new world record for the London marathon in 2003, will signal the start of the race in East Sussex on 7 April.

She said the start of a marathon was “inspirational” and conveyed “the warmth, empathy and power of the marathon family”.

Brighton Miles, an accessible running event on 6 April, will be launched by wheelchair athlete Weir.

About 13,000 people are expected to run in this year’s Brighton Marathon, which is now in its 15th year.

“I’m delighted to be coming back to Brighton to start the 2024 Brighton Marathon,” said Radcliffe, who is an ambassador for Children with Cancer UK.

Weir praised the inclusivity of the Brighton Miles event, saying: “No matter your age, ability or disability, the Brighton Miles is for you.”

Entries for the Brighton Miles and the 10k are still available, however the Brighton Marathon is sold out.

2022 Brighton Marathon set to be the largest to date after a record 20,000 entries registered

Entries to the 2022 Brighton Marathon have closed after a 'fantastic surge' in numbers saw the event hit a total of 20,000 registrants.

The record number for the 26.2 mile course on Sunday, April 10, is welcome news and means the 2022 event is set to be the largest Brighton Marathon to date.

Organizers are delighted and said it marked 'a hugely positive outlook for running mass participation events and an encouraging shift in public appetite' following the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A marathon spokesman said: "The Covid-19 pandemic has been a challenging time for the mass participation events industry, which has suffered postponements, cancellations and refunds without the support of insurance policies or government funding.

"For the surviving events, the challenge of coming back has not been easy, not least because of the general public’s understandable nervousness towards committing to an event during such uncertain times.

"It is therefore an incredible result for all mass participation running events, that Brighton Marathon 2022 has closed general entries on such a high and positive note."

The spokesman added that in 2019 there were 10,680 runners and in 2021, despite there being 7,694 participants, almost £4million was raised for charities, as well as giving so many the chance to take part and achieve their incredible goals.

While general entries are now closed for the 2022 marathon, places already secured by various local and national charities are still available. People can find the charities with marathon places on the website.

Tom Naylor, event director at Brighton Marathon Weekend, said: “Each year we can forecast our entry numbers with some degree of certainty based on previous years, allowing us to plan our finances. Throughout the pandemic, it has been exceptionally difficult for us and our industry colleagues, with an ever-changing outlook from Government.

"It is amazing to have closed our entries for 2022 with such a positive uptake and I am incredibly excited for our industry, our charities, our city and our participants that the year ahead looks so much brighter and healthier for us all.”

The Brighton Marathon will take place on Sunday, April 10 as part of Brighton Marathon Weekend, which runs from Friday, April 8 – Sunday, April 10. The event is renowned for its remarkable spectator support, stunning scenery and vibrant city atmosphere.

British marathon runners went the distance, as race was 586 metres too long

The error comes four years after the course was measured 146 meters short

Last Sunday, the Brighton Marathon was held in Brighton, England, hosting over 7,000 runners. Despite the route being measured correctly before the start of the race, a cone line was moved over the final stretch, diverting runners to run an extra 586 metres.

After the race, organizers mentioned to runners that there had been a mistake with the course measurements and that it was half a kilometre too long.

In an online press release, event organizer Tom Naylor said, “We are wholly disappointed that this has affected our runners & hope that it hasn’t marred the experience, at what has been a fantastic comeback event after 18 months.”

In the men’s race, Neil McClements overtook the then leader Ollie Garrod 200 metres before the finish line to win the race. Garrod would have won the race if the distance wasn’t incorrect. Despite losing the race over the final extra stretch, Garrod was in good spirits about placing second and congratulated McClements for his victory, saying he won “fair and square”.

Canadian Lauren Reid of Uxbridge, Ont. finished third in the women’s marathon, in 3:09:31. “I knew it was long after I passed the halfway mark three minutes behind the halfway point on my watch,” Reid says. ” I tried to keep my focus on racing, knowing the distance was beyond my control.”

The error comes four years after the Brighton Marathon course was measured 146 metres short. “In the next few weeks, all finishers will be given more information on their times, and that the course length would be adjusted for results,” Naylor said.

For third consecutive time Brighton Marathon postponed until autumn 2021

A major marathon has been pushed back for a third time after organizers said it had become clear it would "not be possible" for the run to be held next spring.

The Brighton Marathon Weekend will now be held between September 10 and September 12, 17 months after the event was originally scheduled to take place.

The reason for the second postponement is the rising coronavirus infection rate in the UK, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying more stringent lockdown restrictions introduced in September to stop the resurgence of the disease could remain in place for six months.

While the further delay of the popular race will disappoint many runners looking to chase new personal bests on Brighton and Hove's notoriously fast and flat route, event director Tim Naylor warned the further postponement of the marathon would have far-reaching impacts on the people of the city.

He said: "The Brighton Marathon Weekend extends far beyond our participants.

"The livelihoods of our staff, contractors, suppliers, hospitality industry and more, will be affected.

"When 20,000 people do not arrive in the city ready to run a race with their supporters, the ripple effect is great.

"From the bar staff in the hotels who do not pick up extra shifts to the taxi driver who does not take extra bookings.

"In 2019, it was estimated our event contributed £12 million to the local hospitality economy alone.

"Events are also a crucial lifeline for charities and fundraising.

"Since our first event in 2010 we have supported local and national charities in raising more than £50 million."

"I’d also like to personally thank the thousands of runners and riders who are sticking with us from 2020 in to 2021. Your moral support has been vital. Your financial support, by deferring your entries or choosing to take place in The Edit, has been invaluable and we are extremely grateful.

"We are a small team, many of whom are yet to even experience working at the Brighton Marathon Weekend on event weekend. Your countless messages of support and encouragement have kept us all going during this extremely difficult time.

"Thank you for your unrelenting understanding and patience. We cannot wait to see you across the finish line in 2021."

Brighton Marathon cancelled due to the coronavirus concerns

The Brighton Marathon is cancelled amid virus fears.

The race, which normally draws more than 17,000 runners, was due to go ahead on September 20.

But organisers said that despite efforts to find a suitable way forward, they have “sadly” made the decision to cancel.

A spokesman said: “Following the decision in March 2020 to postpone Brighton Marathon Weekend 2020, we have collaborated with major UK mass participation event organisers, our local authority, our safety advisers and our medical team to fully understand how our event could take place while meeting Covid-19 restrictions and the recently updated Government guidance for events.

“Despite our best efforts to find a viable way forwards, we have together concluded that sadly, it is not feasible to stage our event as we had hoped and planned.”

A place in the 2021 Brighton Marathon Weekend is guaranteed for all 2020 general entry and charity entry registrants.

If you secured your entry through a charity, you must contact your charity regarding your place.

The cancellation decision was made because organisers believe social distancing city-wide will be “extremely difficult to implement and manage” for such a large crowd. They also cite the effect the marathon’s runners and crowds could have on NHS services.

The organisers said they hoped some kind of event would take place in the autumn.

However, they have provided few details about it, which has led to some confusion online.

They said only that they hoped to stage part of the Brighton Marathon Weekend in a “unique and revised” format in the autumn.

The spokesman said: “While we are unable to shut down large parts of our city to make way for our usual 26.2-mile course under current guidelines, we are working towards creating a socially distanced, Covid-19 compliant event, which our 2020 participants will be invited to be part of.”

The event is Britain’s second biggest marathon.

In 2019, the Brighton Marathon Weekend returned to the city for its tenth consecutive year, bringing with it an estimated 17,500 runners and 150,000 spectators.

The event included three races across the weekend.

Ben Banks ran his own Brighton Marathon by doing laps in his back garden

“It was very repetitive” was Ben Banks’ verdict on the 26.2-miles he ran by covering hundreds of laps in the back garden of his Thurston home.

The 25-year-old had been due to run the Brighton Marathon a week before, until it was cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis.

Many of us might’ve taken the opportunity to put our feet up - but, having caught the running bug, Ben decided to go ahead anyway and run the 26.2-miles by doing laps of his garden.

He admitted the so-called ‘route’ got a bit samey after a while, even with his attempts to bring in a bit of variety by running in different directions across the lawn.

Without the scenic routes and cheering crowds of most marathons, Ben admitted it was a “mental struggle” - although his relatives came out of the house regularly to offer him moral support.

However, once he was a couple of hours in, Ben told himself that he’d gone too far to give up half-way through.

And he even surprised himself by setting a new personal best, with a time of 4hrs, 13mins and 43secs.

Ben had originally aimed to run the Brighton Marathon for the charity Mind, as people close to him have been affected by mental ill health in the past.

However in light of the current pandemic, he has chosen to donate half of the money he is raising from the run on Sunday, April 26 - the same day as the London Marathon - to the Charities Aid Foundation, to help those affected by the crisis.

“I saw the campaign and wanted to do something to help out,” he said.

“I’ve still been doing my training, so wanted to put that to some use as well - especially at the moment, when getting outside to do anything is difficult.

“It was very repetitive but I tried to mix it up a bit, anything to make it a bit more interesting!. “It was a lot harder than a normal marathon. The only support I had was my family - every so often they would come out to see how I was getting on.

“It was a mental struggle but I really wanted to complete it. I knew I could have a rest at the end!”

Ben hopes to be able to run the Brighton Marathon itself later in the year.

Emma Knight says she wanted to fight the disease with everything she had and her care was second to none is running the Brighton 10k

Emma Knight found a lump in her chest last year and visited the doctors to have it checked.

The 44-year-old said: “About four weeks later I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer.

“I have two daughters, so the worst part of receiving that news is thinking of the impact it will have on my children.

“It’s heartbreaking and a really frightening thought.”

Emma decided she wanted to fight the disease with everything she had.

She said: “I knew if I let my head go to a bad place then I couldn’t expect my body to recover.

“I also knew I had to have a clear head to explain this to my children. That this would be difficult but I would be OK.

“They know enough to make the link between cancer and death. I wanted them to see that I was strong and that wasn’t always the case.”

Emma, who lives in Hanover, England with daughters Georgie and Nancy, began to write down her feelings in a blog online called Queen Emma Knight and said it “became a type of therapy.”

“It is very honest. I talk about everything very bluntly,” she said.  

“Somebody told me reading it was like white water rafting, I go from swearing to sharing my emotions, talking about getting a positive outcome from a pretty grim situation.

“People began reading it all over the world. It created quite a community and people I didn’t know were giving such positive feedback.

“One woman direct messaged me and said the blog was like somebody else was articulating exactly how she was feeling. Before that she felt like she had lost her voice, and I had given it back.”

Emma received 19 weeks of chemotherapy treatment at the Sussex Cancer Centre in Brighton and said her care was second to none.

So tomorrow she will be leading the charge as part of Knights Army, a team of 24 friends and family members who Emma says will be “running, jogging, walking and crawling” the Brighton 10K to raise money for the Sussex Cancer Fund.

She said that she is not going to win it, but is “celebrating the fact that my body is able to achieve this after the serious beating it’s taken.”

Kylie Osborn is running the Brighton Marathon this weekend to raise money for a charity in memory of her daughter

Kylie Osborn is taking on the marathon on Sunday to raise money for Darcie’s Wish, a charity she set up to support bereaved parents after her own daughter died at 20 weeks.

“Darcie’s Wish was formed in 2014 when our daughter Darcie passed away from Edwards’ syndrome while I was pregnant,” explained Kylie.

“It is now a registered charity and has raised more than £25,000 to help support the maternity unit at Lister Hospital.”

Kylie will be running with five others, and each mile of Sunday’s marathon will be dedicated to a different angel baby – whose names will be on the back of each running top.

Mile 26 will be in memory of Darcie.

Edwards syndrome, is a chromosomal condition associated with abnormalities in many parts of the body. Babies have slow growth before birth and a low birth weight. Affected babies may have heart defects and abnormalities of other organs that develop before birth.

Due to the presence of several life-threatening medical problems, many babies die before birth or within their first month. Five to 10 percent of babies with this condition live past their first year.

Helen Davies will defend her Brighton Marathon title next month

Helen Davies is bang on course to smash her personal best for the marathon, when she defends her Brighton Marathon title next month.

Davies confirmed her red-hot form by easing to another victory at the hugely-popular Colchester Half-Marathon on Sunday, to complete her build-up to the 26.2-miler on the East Sussex coast on Sunday, April 14.

The Ipswich JAFFA stalwart has now won the ladies’ title at the Colchester event for the last four years, while in Brighton she will be attempting to complete a hat-trick of marathon wins.

Before taking a break from competitive running to start a family, just under seven years ago, Davies had already enjoyed a terrific running career.

She had represented Great Britain in the women’s marathon at the European Championships in Barcelona in July, 2010 (2hrs 43mins 00secs), and just three months later she ran for England at the Commonwealth Games in the heat of Delhi (2:49:24).

Two years later and Davies posted her personal best time of 2:34:11 at the London Marathon of 2012.

Brighton resident Ivan Lyons has completed his 100th marathon in 100 weeks, next step Brighton Marathon

Lyons started running marathons in 1996. 21 years later he completed his 100th marathon. Then at age 50 he decided to run a further 100 marathon races in 100 weeks.

Each of Lyons’s marathons were the official distance of 26.2 miles in race conditions, which also included 10 marathons in 10 days in Gravesend last August.

“This was the hardest event as not only was I running the same route every day but it was the only time when I thought my body would cave in – well, running 262 miles is quite a challenge," he said.

Lyons marathon events took him to America, Spain, Austria, the Faroe Islands, the Netherlands, Cuba, Madeira and all corners of the UK.

How did he find time to run so many marathons and a business as well? “I am fortunate that I have two directors who are sporty themselves so they get it – not that they would run a marathon though!”

As for Lyons, now that he has run 200 marathons will he stop running? “Of course not. I will have a little rest then in mid April I will be running the Brighton Marathon.

“This will be its 10th year and for those of us who have run all 10, we are going to be spoilt with an additional achievers medal I understand – so I must have that in my collection.”