Brighton Marathon 2018

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  • This is the quietest Brighton Marathon forum ever. In previous years there has been hundreds of posts.
  • SBD.SBD. ✭✭✭

    Quiet indeed FBT - but we still have two days left!

    Started carbo-loading this morning and heading down to pick up the number tomorrow morning.

    A mixture of nerves and taper madness starting to kick in so it's going to be an interesting few days ...


  • What's the weather like over there at the moment guys? I'm flying over from Dublin Saturday morning, can't wait to get running. It's been a hard couple of weeks for me had to go on antibiotics for sinusitis and just over it now! I'm really hoping it won't effect me too much on Sunday. 
  • <blockquote class="Quote">
    <div class="QuoteAuthor"><a href="/profile/Fat%20Boy%20Trim">Fat Boy Trim</a> said:</div>
    <div class="QuoteText">This is the quietest Brighton Marathon forum ever. In previous years there has been hundreds of posts.</div>
    </blockquote>


    Yeah very quiet alright FBT . 
  • john2443john2443 ✭✭✭

    AF2 - The weather's good - dry, warm compared to the last few months, but cool enough for running.

    One thing that was an issue a couple of years ago was the start pens, on grass, were muddy, I'll be in the park tomorrow and Saturday, will try and report back on conditions, might be worth taking plastic bags for over your shoes!

  • Nice one <b>John2443<i></i><i></i></b><i></i>. Conditions sound perfect, raining all day here in Dublin today ! 
    I'll be starting up at the Withdean start on Sunday, is that far from Preston Park?
    Cheers 
  • john2443john2443 ✭✭✭
     
    I'll be starting up at the Withdean start on Sunday, is that far from Preston Park?

    It's a mile straight up London Road A23, the elite and mass starts merge just before mile 1.

    Elite start is pretty quiet so misses the buzz of the mass start, but it has a mile of straight very slight downhill, mass start has 3 sharp turns, nearly 800m uphill and 400 of steep-enough-that-you-wouldn't-want-to-let-rip-so-early-on downhill.

  • Great stuff John, thanks for the info. That's a perfect warm up walking distance.
    Cheers 
  • As john says the withdean start is very quiet and no buzz about it at all. It's more of a quiet contemplation and meditation.

    But it does have a nice start compared with Preston also as John says.

    Looks like the weather has changed to more of a cool slight breeze.

    Alan, Ive been on Anti-B's as well for a chest infection, and its just starting to clear myself , so i know where you are coming from.

  • <b>FBT, </b>Yeah will probably stick with the Withdean start. Contemplation and meditation sounds good to me!!! 
  • SBD.SBD. ✭✭✭

    Withdean start for me as well.  Having run around Preston Park at the start of the 2010 marathon, I'm very pleased to be starting from here!

    Drove past the start this morning on the way to the Event Village - a bit daunting but exciting at the same time.  The Event Village was very quiet at 12.00 mid-day so no queues to collect the number.

    Time to get the show on the road - so roll on Sunday ... 

  • First marathon on Sunday, so pretty anxious, and oblivious. 

    What's the difference between starting locations? Can you pick? 

    Staying in Eastbourne tomorrow night, and driving over first thing - is it possible to park within the area? Say 2-3k away? 
  • john2443john2443 ✭✭✭

    Start locations - Withdean is Elite; only if you're fast enough and have already arranged to start from there. Preston Park is for everyone else.

    Parking 2-3k away.

    Brighton parking is generally a nightmare!

    Park and Ride I think has to have been pre booked.

    You'll have to look at a map to make sense of this, but London Road multi storey is closest to start and is towards finish. Road closures mean unless you're really early (before 7?) you'd need to go to Dyke Road and down Old Shoreham Road to get there. Trafalgar Street or City College about 1.5k to start, same route but continue along New England Street. One of those 3 is probably best but I don't know how busy they'll be. On a normal Sunday there would be space.

    Churchill Square - 3k to start, closer to finish, expensive and horrible to get out of on Sunday aft - the queue will start in your parking space and continue to city boundary. I would avoid!

    On street - south of Preston Park is pay and display, may not be allowed for long enough, is quite expensive, might not find a space, access affected by road closures when you arrive. 

    North of PP is a mix of p&d and free. Would quite likely find a free space within 3 k but you'll be 5-6k away from finish. Bus about £3 afterwards, they start running after mid day when road closures come off.

  • Good luck for everyone tomorrow, ditto what john2443 says about parking.
    Just be careful not to twist your ankles on roads around The Old Steine (area near Pavilion) - the surface is very uneven in places and there's a few potholes - got rattled about on my road bike in town yesterday!
  • MrSoftMrSoft ✭✭✭
    Mr Worry said:
    Good luck for everyone tomorrow, ditto what john2443 says about parking.
    Just be careful not to twist your ankles on roads around The Old Steine (area near Pavilion) - the surface is very uneven in places and there's a few potholes - got rattled about on my road bike in town yesterday!
    Thanks for the heads up. I'm not familiar with the course, do you roughly know what mile this is in the race?

  • Richard  2Richard 2 ✭✭✭
    Bloody rain tomorrow now
  • Richard  2Richard 2 ✭✭✭
    But good luck everyone! You got this
  • john2443john2443 ✭✭✭
    MrSoft said:
    Mr Worry said:
    Good luck for everyone tomorrow, ditto what john2443 says about parking.
    Just be careful not to twist your ankles on roads around The Old Steine (area near Pavilion) - the surface is very uneven in places and there's a few potholes - got rattled about on my road bike in town yesterday!
    Thanks for the heads up. I'm not familiar with the course, do you roughly know what mile this is in the race?


    Mile 2.5 and 5 approx 
  • Another great marathon organised... looks like might have to sign up for next year GULP
  • Richard  2Richard 2 ✭✭✭
    Well done everyone. I managed 3.29.22

    Overall pleased.

    Was shakey and cold at the end. St johns ambulance put me back together. Big thanks to them.

    I think I did not fuel enough. Needed more gels.
  • Nice one Richard2. Must be very satisfying to nip under 3.30!!! Sweeeet. Well done.

    3:00.05 for me ???!!! Haha. I was well happy with how the race went. And I really couldn't have done anymore. I was on pace with 7km to go but wasn't taking anything foregranted or thinking I've got this in the bag. I didn't once think that throughout the race as I was working hard from the very beginning. But in mile 24 my right leg buckled from underneath me and it was all I could do to stay upright and try to fend off a major wobble/cramp. My pace in that mile which was 6.50 dropped to 7.25 and it was all I could do to think going. The leg recovered and i started to run normally again. Although they had both been screaming at me since mile 20. That out and back to the Power station was tough. The least inspiring part of the whole course at a time in the race when you are digging deep.  I started to run normally again and shake off the wobble but I really thought sub3 was way off and a distant dream. I didn't just give up on it and was still pushing but I thought at that point that I was pushing to get a 3:003X time. The 3 hour pace makers Tom and Fass who were amazing that I had run with for the entire course were over 200 yards ahead by this point too which again suggested in my head that sub3 was not near. Then the roar of the crowd really pumped me up and I went for it with 1/2 mile to go (but I didn't know the distance at the time). I missed both the 25 and 26 mile markers. So then I saw the finish line off in the distance and looked at my watch with less than two minutes and counting. Man this was going to be close. Then I was on the finishing straight and pumping my busted legs with total tunnel vision. The time on the gantry came into view, for a split second I thought maybe just maybe but with 20 yards to go I saw 3:00.00 come and go. Gun time was 3:00.11. Chip 3:00.05. If this was my first marathon I'd be gutted quite frankly but I'm not. It's an 11 minute PB and Brighton was only ever intended a marker in training for the Warsaw marathon in September. 

    My overall thoughts on Brighton is that it was a very well organized event. The drinks stations were spot on with exactly the right amount of water, energy drink, and gel stations distributed along the course. The course was engaging and the support along route fantastic. The beer at the end was epic and the medal was blinging. 

    Look forward to reading a few others reports from yesterday. 

    Oh and officials photos just popped up in my inbox too.that was super quick turn around. Some good ones there but not sure I want to spend £25. 
  • Everyone kept telling me not to run this one as i had been so ill, and was getting grief about how dangerous it was blah blah blah....But the thing with marathons for me is that they are something I commit to and dont want to give up on, regardless of cicumstances.

    Turning up at the fast start at Brighton I felt a bit like a fraud really as I knew, I was no where near sub 3:15 pace with such little training, but to be honest I really had no idea what pace i was, I didn't want to go over 4 hrs, but apart from that was not sure if to race to 16-18 miles and run walk or adopt a sensible pace. Met a fellow runner I knew and we agreed to run at 8min miles as he had a dodgy leg. Downed almost a litre of beet it juice (god why do we drink that shit)

    Gun went off and I went off too fast for the first couple of miles with sub 7 min miles, my fellow runner went off into the distance, but i decided with no long runs in training I would pay for it later, if i kept that pace, so eased back to 7:45 min miles which felt quite slow and comfortable.

    Half way went through at about 1:38, and knew i was good for 18-20 miles but no idea after that, my pace started to slow but kept it at sub 8 min mile to mile. 19-20. I had made it to mile 20 which for some reason was my goal, and started to run/walk and did a 11 min mile, at which point i realised that it was in my head and felt ok, so started running and was back up to just over 8 min miles and overtook my fellow runner at mile 22 who had shot off at the start. Continued running all the way to the finish, overtaking many other runners which is a rare thing for me at the end of a marathon, and felt surprisingly ok. Crossing the line with 3:29 on my watch i was a very happy bunny. Quick wade in the freezing sea at the end to cool the legs, in a hope to save the legs for next week, and the train home. 

    Not one of my faster marathons, but very enjoyable under the circumstances, especially as i was dreading it to start with. Brighton really is one of the best marathons, awesome support.

    Bring on VLM next Sunday!!!


  • Richard - you must have been in my sights! a few seconds in front of me

    Disco Stu - Excellent time - gutted for you that you could not have sneaked under 3hrs, but still a great effort and lines you up nice for Warsaw marathon!

    As Disco stu said, great support , nice course with lots of water and gels, nice medal and nice beer at the end

    Looks like Brighton next year it is then!

  • Richard  2Richard 2 ✭✭✭
    Well done everyone. A bit of calm reflection later and the stand out points for me.

    First the good.
    Very good urinals at the start, my prerace routine is wee a lot and I like the 4 urinals things. Good that they were right at the start too. Seems a silly thing but is actually very important, and i know I'm not alone in my prerace routine.

    Nice big bags for the bag drop.

    The support, amazing just amazing!

    The bad.
    A big plastic goodie bag with virtually nothing in it. No post race sustenance, not even a banana. My body was in bits and needed something other than an alcohol free beer. St johns ambulance put me back together instead .Have donated to them. Thanks.
  • Totally agree Richard, I was surprised with the empty bag - I thought there was going to be some goodies to fill it up furth on. Not the worst thing about a race though to be fair.

    St Johns are very good - they got me back on my feet last year in the heat after dehydration

  • Great pacing FBT and very sensible to go out in the way you did knowing you didn't have the long runs to back up the pace. That takes guts to back off and you were rewarded with a sub3.30. Nice. 

    Agree Richard on the bag. Wasn't it odd. A razor. And nothing else I can even remember....  Oh the Aldi own Mars bar which one of the Brighton volunteers must have nipped out on Saturday afternoon to fetch after someone else noticed the bag was looking a little on the light side. Have to day though that beer was really good. Not sure it was going to go down even but it hardly touched the sides. Haven't signed up to 2019 yet and can always get a place through running club much nearer to the time but I'll definitely run it again for sure. 

    I'm writing my race report this week which I will post the link to on this page when it's up.

    Hope the post marathon recovery is going well for all. My legs feel alright for 'Terrible Tuesday' so perhaps its Wicked Wednesday I need to worry about. 
  • Hi everyone...

    I completed my first Marathon at Brighton on Sunday....I've done a few halves before including Great North Run.....but this was my first marathon.

    Overall I was really impressed......

    GOOD
    - Not too crowded at start, everything clearly signposted
    - Great support almost all the way round
    - Great finish location with last stretch along the seafront
    - Decent amount of water/fuel stops

    BAD
    - Having to collect number day before - and having to travel from Manchester the day before seems a little 'dated'
    - quite a bit hillier than i thought/hoped it would be

    So; overall really good....and whilst i'm no 'pro' I was hoping for sub 4hrs and managed a 3:51 so can't complain!
  • Well done Mark norm!

    Totally agree with your good and bad, the collecting number is a pain but nearly every big marathon (UK and overseas) has it, so i guess we have to live with it. Tad harsh on it being hilly though. 2 or 3 inclines over 26 miles aint bad.

    UDS - the mars comment made be laugh. It was the strangest bag! A RAZOR!! Just what i want after a marathon ! and the tiny mars did seem an after thought as an empty bag was not quite cutting it! Look forward to the report

  • thanks FBT....maybe more hillier than i HOPED! ha!......yea...I'll be honest, when I finished I didn't think 'oh, i could do with a shave and a pint!'
  • LoueyLouey ✭✭✭
    As a female runner, a men's razor was not really what I was hoping for in the goody bag. (I use the term goody bag very loosely here).

    Anyway, I digress, it was the 3rd year in a row I've run Brighton and I thought it was the best organised so far. Unlike previous years, the toilet queues were moving quickly. 2 years ago I queued for 45 minutes and missed the start. There didn't seem to be any real congestion on the course. Plenty of water and the crowds were the best I've seen, they really got me through the last few miles. 

    I finished in 4:04.59 (v pleased to sneak under 4.05). Not a PB but fairly happy nonetheless. The first half went perfectly to plan but I got a stitch from mile 15 which was difficult to shake off and then lost my pace. Fended off cramp in my quads from mile 22 onwards which meant a couple of stops to stretch to avoid full blown cramps setting in. Probably should have had more electrolytes on the day. 

    The most disappointing thing for me was the t-shirt. First that it doesn't say finisher on it and second that it is poor quality and has a really dull design. I am sure they gave it out before the race as a way to entice you into buying the better quality merchandise at the event village. Still, I have enough t-shirts so it doesn't really matter. 

    I'll probably be back next year...
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