← Brighton Marathon
The Brighton Marathon 2018 was my first marathon and I enjoyed every minute of it despite it being a real mentally and physical battle towards the end.
I registered a year before to ensure I got a place and there was regular communication via email throughout the year and leading up to race day. The race pack consisting of race number, timing tag and t-shirt had to be picked up from the event village on the Friday or Saturday. I picked it up on Saturday late morning and there were no queues. The event village was on the sea front and had a good range of stalls to look around.
The start of the race as at Preston Park. I travelled to Brighton via train and then it was about a 20 minute walk to Preston Park. It was busy before the start of the race which created a good atmosphere. As each corral was released, there was a short walk to the start line. They had extra toilets along this walk which I took full advantage of without the need to queue.
It was a great course but ceratinly had some challenges along the way. I hadn't appreciated how hilly it was going to be. The first half had alot of inclines. The second half was much flatter though.There is a few miles towards the end where you are running away from the town in a quiet, industrial area towards the power station. This is the toughest part of the race with fewer spectators,
There was frequent water stations offering water and energy gels. The water was in cups which isn't to everyones liking but I found it ok.
The local support was fantastic and really helped to push me to the finishing line. Certainly worth printing your name on your running top as the crowds really do cheer you on.
The finishing straight is along the sea front in front of huge crowds. Once you cross the finsh you received a well earnt medal and goody bag. At the point I finished it started to rain and was becoming colder so I didn't hang about too long but if you wanted there was lots to see and do afterwards and you could sit on the beach a relax.
All in all it was a great day and a fantastic event which I'd certainly recommend.
To see how I got on and to soak up some of the atmosphere on what is a great marathon to participate in check out my race vlog on my YouTube channel:
