Thousands Compete in The Grand Brighton Half Marathon 2018

The Grand Brighton Half Marathon was once again a huge success, and this edition – the 28th – was bigger and better than ever. In all, 7,811 people finished the 13.1-mile-long race. The mix of participants was as diverse as ever, with professional runners as well as first-timers. Huge congratulations to every single person who finished. A massive achievement in a truly gruelling race.

The 28th Grand Brighton Half Marathon was the fourth edition to have E3 Events as an event management partner, and the first of three to be newly sponsored by The Grand Hotel in Brighton. We couldn’t be prouder of how the race has progressed over the years, as we have seen the number of participants increase, and records and personal bests tumble. The race is held in aid of The Sussex Beacon, a local charity here in Brighton that help men, women, and families living with HIV. It is their single biggest fundraising event of the year, and the success of the Half Marathon is crucial for The Sussex Beacon to continue providing care to those that need it.

The Half Marathon is always an early start for us at E3, and this year was no exception. Our team was there on race day from 5 AM to prepare for the start of the race at 9. It was a cold but clear morning, with not a cloud in the sky. The sunny but cold conditions were appreciated by the runners, as many set out to achieve their Half Marathon PB. Mo Marsh, the Mayor of Brighton and Hove came along to fire the starting gun, and the race went off without a hitch. The spirit of Brighton and Hove was truly reflected on race day, with several instances of runners sacrificing seconds or even minutes of their own time by helping others to cross the line.

The eventual men’s winner was Paul Pollock in a time of 01:06:57. A strong headwind along the seafront made it unlikely that any course records would be beaten, and this turned out to be the case. It was still an exceptionally strong run from Paul, who has previously competed at the Rio Olympic Games representing The Republic of Ireland.

The winner of the women’s race, Izzy Coomber, also had a very strong run against the headwind, finishing in 01:19:00. Izzy is a local runner who run for Lewes Athletics Club, and we hope to see her back defending her title next year.

David Hill of E3 said after the event, ‘it’s gone perfectly. We’ve had thousands of runners doing their best, and a wonderful team of people working and helping to produce this event. We’d like to thank everyone from charity and corporate partners, to the hundreds of volunteers who helped us make The Grand Brighton Half Marathon 2018 the wonderful event that it was’.

With the runners back, the prizes and medals given out, and hundreds of thousands raises in sponsorship, it was time to pack everything away and get to work on The Grand Brighton Half Marathon 2019, which will be even bigger and even better.

E3 are proud to have been an event management partner for this fantastic event, and we hope to see you on the start line in 2019.