Brighton.
What do you think of?
Sea. Sunshine. Fun fair. Pebble beach.
Running?!
When I attempted to enter in November, all of the standard entries were full, with only a limited number of charity places available. 2015 marks the 25th anniversary of the event, so it was set to be pretty special and a lot of people knew that! Although frustrating, this made me want to conquer Brighton even more. I eventually made the decision to run as part of Team Shelter and pledged £200 for the charity to guarantee myself a place. This decision was largely weighted by the fact that the company I work for support Shelter in a big way and will match the first £100 of any money raised for the charity.
My training for the event basically consisted of my Paris Marathon training plan, with a bit more concentration on speed to peak for the race. Had I not been racing my long run would have been a half marathon distance anyway, so it made sense to pop to Brighton and get a medal for it!
The long range forecast predicted the weather to be dreary for race day, with heavy rain and high winds, but in true race day miracle fashion, the morning of Sunday 22nd February was glorious! Although slightly windy (totally acceptable in a seaside town), the sun was shining and the rain stayed away.
I made it to the start line for just after 8am. The path to the race village narrowed significantly which meant for a big build up of competitors and spectators and very little signposting as to where the pens were for each wave. This was a little confusing, but everyone sorted themselves out eventually.
The race overall was truly stunning. Having grown up near the beach (in New Zealand) it was refreshing to take on 13.1 miles (almost) entirely along the seafront. There were 12,500 runners entered, but the streets were wide enough and the marshalling for the course really great which makes a big difference to your race experience. I barely ever felt like I was trying to dodge through people to keep my pace, which made for a really enjoyable run.
My initial pace was quick, with the first few miles averaging approx. 8mins 15secs. I was a little worried that I had headed off too fast, but the adrenaline was pumping and I really felt great, so I just went with it. Team Shelter were positioned at mile 7 (which was also mile 12) and it was the best feeling to run past wearing their vest and having them cheer me on. Running for charity can feel so rewarding and makes the day that extra bit special.
As the course loops back on itself, we were able to see the elite runners coming through towards the finish. These runners are absolutely incredible and I have so much respect for them. Paul Martelletti crossed the finish line first (and may I just mention he also has an awesome beard- check it out!).
I loved every minute of the run and finished in 1 hour 46 minutes and 36 seconds - a personal best for me by over 10 minutes! I'm still in shock at how much I smashed it by.
After the race Shelter offered their runners massages and refreshments in their charity tent, which was perfection! It made such a difference to have my muscles looked after and I felt pretty fresh the next day for it.
Overall, this race was my favourite half marathon to date. It was so well organised with water stations well set up, marshals being really helpful, great weather, a beautiful setting and a really cool medal (yep, that makes a difference!). Brighton was a great host for the weekend and I can't wait to go back.. maybe even for the full marathon next year?!
The race overall was truly stunning. Having grown up near the beach (in New Zealand) it was refreshing to take on 13.1 miles (almost) entirely along the seafront. There were 12,500 runners entered, but the streets were wide enough and the marshalling for the course really great which makes a big difference to your race experience. I barely ever felt like I was trying to dodge through people to keep my pace, which made for a really enjoyable run.
My initial pace was quick, with the first few miles averaging approx. 8mins 15secs. I was a little worried that I had headed off too fast, but the adrenaline was pumping and I really felt great, so I just went with it. Team Shelter were positioned at mile 7 (which was also mile 12) and it was the best feeling to run past wearing their vest and having them cheer me on. Running for charity can feel so rewarding and makes the day that extra bit special.
As the course loops back on itself, we were able to see the elite runners coming through towards the finish. These runners are absolutely incredible and I have so much respect for them. Paul Martelletti crossed the finish line first (and may I just mention he also has an awesome beard- check it out!).
I loved every minute of the run and finished in 1 hour 46 minutes and 36 seconds - a personal best for me by over 10 minutes! I'm still in shock at how much I smashed it by.
After the race Shelter offered their runners massages and refreshments in their charity tent, which was perfection! It made such a difference to have my muscles looked after and I felt pretty fresh the next day for it.
Overall, this race was my favourite half marathon to date. It was so well organised with water stations well set up, marshals being really helpful, great weather, a beautiful setting and a really cool medal (yep, that makes a difference!). Brighton was a great host for the weekend and I can't wait to go back.. maybe even for the full marathon next year?!
If you would like to check out my VLOG of my weekend in Brighton (including race footage!) then take a look below. I'm planning to vlog all of my upcoming races (Paris Marathon, Hackney Half, London 10000 to name a few), so pop over to my YouTube page www.youtube.com/themarathonharry and click subscribe to come along with me!
Finally, I would like to send a big THANK YOU to Shelter for all of the support on race day and all of the work that you do. It was a real honour to run for such a great charity and so much fun too!
