Brighton Marathon 2025

Race report by Chris Pascoe:

Sunday 6th was a busy running day for many of us, with London Landmarks Half Marathon, Kent Coastal Half and 10K, and the Brighton Marathon. 

Four members of the Club took part in the Brighton Marathon taking on the fairly challenging course, known for its inclines and long open stretches.

The morning was a little chilly but the day promised blue skies and full sunshine. Forecasts had predicted strong winds with gusts of up to 26 mph. Thankfully the weather gods were smiling down on the runners and it was a relatively calm day. There were some strong head winds running east along the coast but they were nowhere near as strong as anticipated.

The run started in Preston Park and turns immediately north and into an incline. It then heads south towards the coast, passing the iconic Brighton Pavilion and east along the coastline along Marine Drive towards Rottingdean.

After heading back towards Brighton Pier and passing the Brighton I360 Tower, the race continues towards the leafy suburbs of Hove. Here the course tracked westbound and then u-turned and headed back towards Brighton. The finish line was in Hove Gardens at the end of a nice straight where you could have a sprint finish if you had the energy.

The crowds along the course were great, it was the perfect day to get out and cheer along the runners. Hove Gardens was a hive of activity, with runners celebrating with their friends and family. 

Georgie Judge said of the day: As the sun was shining and all my friends and family were supporting me, I was so excited throughout the whole race. I absolutely loved the atmosphere of the crowd, how the runners all supported each other and especially loved seeing some TRAC runners during the route!! I’ve definitely learned to listen to your body if you need to slow down, and to investigate into how to prevent blisters, as I am in pain todayyyy. Well done to everyone who raced this weekend!!

Chris Pascoe:

PB 3:07.42

273rd overall and 23rd in age group

Georgie Judge:

Incredible first marathon performance with a time of 3:24.24

64th Woman and 49th in her age group.

Chris Brown:

3:50:18

Jim Allen:

4:09:51

Well done to everyone who ran this event and thank you to the volunteers and support team throughout the race.

A few words from Chris Brown:

My experience was that Brighton Marathon was incredibly well organised. The park and ride was both simple and easy and the holding pens at Preston Park were also very well organised. Plenty of toilets, plenty of Marshalls and very easy for a first timer at a large marathon event!

My Marathon race however was far from easy. The first 14-15 miles seemed easy! Bang on pace and feeling good. The crowds were incredibly supportive with bands playing and everyone calling your name with words of encouragement. That said, whoever described it as a flat course needs to reconsider that description. Having trained through the winter, the heat on the day was something I hadn’t really considered and by miles 14-15 I started to pay for my mistake of not listening to Jo Holl’s advice of making sure I had salt sticks. The final 11.2 miles were crazy tough and to be honest very humbling. Not really sure how I kept going now I look back but the crowd played a huge part as did my amazing wife and kids who were there to support me and once noticing my pace beginning to slow seemed to be everywhere cheering me on.

As most of you know, I was hoping for a time of around 3:30 but finally crossed the line in 3:50:18, a broken man. I have learnt so much from the experience and will be back at another marathon start line very soon.

Thanks for the reports guys. Well done on your PB Chris. The marathon is such a tough distance. Congratulations to you all!