My first marathon and will always be close to my heart. 

Starts in Preston Park- bit of a walk from the seafront- but a good warm up and good chance to chat to other runners. 

The queues for the toilets were outrageous- I ended up squatting in the men's urinals so I was ready for my wave. Make sure you go as much as you can before the start line. 

The first mile is uphill, which was good for me as it meant I didn't go off to fast. Then it is back down to the town- the route revisits the town a few times- good for spotting family and friends. I think I saw them around 2, 5 and 13 miles. 

I loved the route very much- a great mixture of the town, then uphill along the cliffs towards Rodean- this was beautiful in the sun shine. Then back down to the town, through Hove- where the support was great. Families with sound systems and jelly babies. 

Everyone says the worst bit is out towards the power station. I was prepared for this and enjoyed chatting to fellow runners and a chance to listen to my playlist and go through my reasons for running. 

Finally you are heading back along the seafront. 

The worst was afterwards, trying to get back to parking and food- the pavements were very busy and it was hard to cross the road as there were limited crossing points. 

Apart from that I loved it!