Thousands of runners turned out for the Brighton Half Marathon this morning (Sunday, February 26) in perfect sunny race conditions, running 13.1 miles around the city of Brighton. The event marks the 33rd anniversary of the Brighton Half Marathon, and the 31st anniversary of the Sussex Beacon, the HIV charity that organises the race.
The event kicked off at 9am with the Youth Race on Hove Lawns, a dedicated one-mile event for junior runners aged between seven-17. The Wheelchair Race followed, starting on Madeira Drive at 9.27am, followed by the main race at 9.30am with over 7,000 runners taking part.
The route took runners past the stunning seafront cliff tops of east Brighton, the Royal Pavilion, the Hilton Brighton Metropole Hotel, the i360, the colourful beach huts of Hove seafront and the iconic Brighton Palace Pier. The field featured hundreds of runners new to the half marathon distance, experienced half marathoners and elite runners, with thousands of spectators lining the route to cheer on the runners.
In the wheelchair race Gary Cooper took first place in the men’s race with a time of one hour five minutes and 30 seconds, with the women’s race being won by Ellie Page who finished in one hour 25 minutes and 56 seconds.
In the men’s race, Leeds University student Cal Mills, took first place with a time of one hour, six minutes and 37 seconds; second place went to Marshall Smith who came home in one hour six minutes and 41 seconds; third place went to Simon Heath who finished in one hour, seven minutes and one second.
The women’s race was won again by last year’s winner Charlotte Ragan, who finished in one hour, 18 minutes and 24 seconds, followed by Ruby Whyte-Wilding in one hour 18 minutes and 30 seconds. Third place went to Amy Harris in one hour, 19 minutes and 17 seconds.
Alongside the elite field, thousands of charity runners took to the streets of the city, raising money for local charities such as the Sussex Beacon and Rockinghorse, as well as national charities including Alzheimer’s Society and Macmillan Cancer Support.
Charity runners included Sam Hammond, AKA Man Vs. Fridge, who ran the race in aid of SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, carrying a fridge on his back, attempting to bag a Guinness World Record. Also running for charity was Anthony Seddon from Portslade, running for Run2Ukraine. Anthony met his wife Anna in Ukraine when watching England play football there and has pledged to run the equivalent distance from the Amex Stadium in Brighton to the Dnipro Arena in Ukraine to raise money for medical aid.
The Brighton Half Marathon is organised by the Sussex Beacon, a Brighton-based charity which provides a range of services for men, women and families living with or affected by HIV across Sussex.
Matt Denby, Executive Director at the Sussex Beacon, said: “What a wonderful day, such an incredible atmosphere. Thank you to all the runners, the charities, the supporters, and the fantastic volunteers who make the event possible! The Brighton Half Marathon is the main fundraising event for the Sussex Beacon, but we also raise money for over 20 other fantastic charities, typically raising over one million pounds in vital funds every year.”