Record Finishers at the Rubix VT Brighton Half Marathon
Wow, what a day Sunday 25th February 2024 was. Thank you to everyone who came along to this year’s Rubix VT Brighton Half Marathon and Youth Races and congratulations!
The atmosphere around the event was incredible and Brighton came out in force to support us. With the help and support of new sponsors the event continues to grow and this year saw a record 8,000 plus finishers for the first time.
The running community is a very special place and already fundraising figures for the event are ready to smash through the one million pound barrier – an incredible achievement and hugely inspiring.
The event kicked off at 9am with the Youth Race on Hove Lawns, a dedicated 1-mile event for junior runners aged between 7-17. This year’s official charity partner for the Youth Race was Rockinghorse Children’s Charity and thanks to our sponsor Brighton Girls School, who provided 50 bursaries and supported the event throughout.
The Wheelchair race followed, starting on Madeira Drive at 9:27am, followed by the main race at 9:30am, started by rugby legend Gareth Thomas CBE. Gareth Thomas is one of the most iconic and respected figures in world rugby. He was the first Welsh player to reach 100 caps and captained both Wales and the British & Irish Lions.
In the wheelchair race, Illias Zghoundi took first place in the men’s race with a time of 1 hour 5 minutes and 3 seconds, with the women’s race being won by Claudia Burrough who set a new course record finishing in 1 hour 5 minutes and 33 seconds.
In the men’s race, Marshall Smith took first place with a time of 1 hour, 7 minutes and 17 seconds; second place went to Matthew Merrick who came home in 1 hour 7 minutes and 28 seconds; third place went to Cal Mills who finished in 1 hour, 7 minutes and 29 seconds.
The women’s race was won by Cassie Thorp, who set a new course record, finishing in 1 hour, 15 minutes and 34 seconds, followed by Molly Smith in 1 hour 15 minutes and 49 seconds. Third place went to Henrietta Tarasewicz in 1 hour, 20 minutes and 42 seconds.
Alongside the elite field, thousands of charity runners took to the streets of the city, raising money for local charities such as the The Sussex Beacon and Rockinghorse, as well as national charities including Alzheimer’s Society and Macmillan Cancer Support.
Charity runners included Chloe Neilson-Hopkins from Bognor Regis who is running 40 races in her 40th year to raise money for the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust and Naomi Garrick who ran the race dressed as a dalmatian to raise money for International Animal Rescue.
The Brighton Half Marathon is the main fundraising event for The Sussex Beacon, a Brighton-based charity which provides a range of services for men, women and families living with or affected by HIV across Sussex. The event typically raises over £1 million for a wide range of charities large and small.
On behalf of all of us at E3 Sports in both our marketing and event delivery team we would like to thank all of our key partners, for their help and support, and last but not least we would like to thank The Sussex Beacon for having faith in what real partnership working can achieve.
Next year’s race will be taking place on Sunday 2nd March 2025. Entries will be opening very soon and keep an eye out for a race day video launching shortly!
