Your plan in four answers
Set for April 4, 2027, about 23 weeks out.
- Distances
- 10K, Marathon
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Field
- Up to 20,000 participants across the weekend's three events
- Taper starts
- March 17, 2027
Course
The Brighton Marathon course
The marathon starts in Preston Park and finishes on Hove Lawns, taking in the city centre, the cliffs to the east and almost the whole seafront. The early miles loop past The Level, the Theatre Royal and the Royal Pavilion before heading out along Marine Parade and Marine Drive to a U-turn at Ovingdean, with views back along the cliffs.
Read the full course notes
The four main climbs are all done by about 18 km (mile 11): the biggest is the first, roughly 20 m over 700 m up Preston Park Avenue, followed by shorter rises on St James's Street and on the road to Ovingdean. From Madeira Drive at about 24 km the course is flat, running out and back along the seafront past the Pier and the i360, through Hove on Grand Avenue and Church Road, and home along Kingsway past the beach huts. The surface is tarmac apart from a 200 m stretch of block paving at about 7 km.
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Distances
- 10K, Marathon
- Field
- Up to 20,000 participants across the weekend's three events
- Weather on race day
- Early April on the Sussex coast is usually cool, around 7–13 °C in the morning, and the sea breeze is the variable that matters most: a headwind on the long seafront stretches can cost real time. Dress for wind as much as temperature, and tuck in with a group when the breeze is in your face.
What to train for
Run the first 18 km with restraint: the four climbs come while you feel fresh, and pushing on them costs you later on the flat seafront.
Include rolling routes in your long runs, cresting each hill at steady effort rather than pace, then settling straight back to goal pace.
The last 18 km are flat and often breezy, so practise holding goal pace for 10–16 km at the end of long runs, ideally on an exposed path. A couple of long runs on open coastal or country roads will also teach you to share the work in a group.
Sample week
A sample Brighton Marathon training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Tuesday Key session
- Intervals: 5 × 1.5 km at 5K to 10K effort, easy jog between
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 10–11 km
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 16 km with 10 km at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 6 km, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 26–29 km, the last 6 km at race pace
- Sunday
- Easy run, 6 km, then 6 relaxed strides
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Brighton Marathon
Start the taper two to three weeks before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course rolls, so keep one short session on undulating ground in the first taper week. With the race on April 4, 2027, your taper starts around March 17, 2027.
Also in Claude
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Build me a training plan for the Brighton Marathon on April 4, 2027. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Brighton Marathon training questions
How long should I train for the Brighton Marathon?
Most runners give a marathon sixteen to twenty weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The plan above counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the Brighton Marathon course hilly?
Rolling. The marathon starts in Preston Park and finishes on Hove Lawns, taking in the city centre, the cliffs to the east and almost the whole seafront.
What is the weather usually like at the Brighton Marathon?
Early April on the Sussex coast is usually cool, around 7–13 °C in the morning, and the sea breeze is the variable that matters most: a headwind on the long seafront stretches can cost real time. Dress for wind as much as temperature, and tuck in with a group when the breeze is in your face.
When should I start tapering for the Brighton Marathon?
Start the taper two to three weeks before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course rolls, so keep one short session on undulating ground in the first taper week. With the race on April 4, 2027, your taper starts around March 17, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a Brighton Marathon training plan?
No. The plan above builds in your browser with no account, no email, and no card. Make a free account only if you want to keep it, log your runs against it, and have the coach keep adapting it as your training goes.