The Brighton Marathon 2010
Sunday 18th April 2010
www.brightonmarathon.co.ukBrighton launches its first ever marathon and Lisa Jackson goes along for the ride.
I've now run 17 marathons around the world (ranging from New York to Paris to Berlin) and the Brighton Marathon, which was held for the first time on 18 April, is, in my opinion, among the top five marathons I've ever done. I thought the race was being over-optimistic by dubbing itself 'London By The Sea' but boy, was I wrong.
Good things come in small packages
Having run both marathons this past fortnight I can say that what Brighton lacks in size (7,589 runners crossed the start line this year compared to London's 37,527 registered participants) it more than makes up for in charm and scenery. The support team was the best I've ever encountered - professional but also just amazingly encouraging and supportive and always ready with a smile. The baggage buses were totally secure so you didn't have to worry about having your precious belongings nicked and very well trained volunteers also staffed the marshalling points and water tables. The compact course was spectacular and took in all of Brighton and Hove's attractions while including only one relatively tough hill near Roedean school.
Sea views
The varied route managed to include both city and countryside sections (you run inland for a bit to the quaint village of Ovingdean) before heading for the seafront for some seaside running too. As the course doubled back on itself several times it means you still felt part of the race no matter how far back in the pack you were. The compact route also made for incredible crowd support - in certain sections the supporters were three-deep - and the many locals who set up sound systems along the route lent the race a party atmosphere. One of my favourite memories is doing the actions to YMCA while singing along at the tops of our voices at one point along the route. Water came in little 330ml bottles that were far more manageable than cups or larger bottles, sports drink was also on offer and even Vaseline was in generous supply. Oh, and the goodie bag at the end contained more treats than I knew what to do with, including several fab Body Shop products.
Do before I die
And finally, the huge medal depicting Brighton's Royal Pavilion really had the 'Wow!' factor. Brighton truly can be proud of hosting such a fantastic event and I predict this fast and relatively flat race will soon be featuring on many runners' 'do before I die' wish-lists. I, for one, will be submitting my entry for 2011 just as soon as they open. 