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June 6, 2021 at 2:30 pm
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Taper tactics

Runner on seafront

Mike Bannister, founder of our training partner RunBrighton, explains the taper and why it’s important at the end of a half-marathon training programme.

Tapering your training is typically done over the couple of weeks preceding race day.

It refers to the gradual reduction of your overall weekly mileage (or time on feet), rather than reduction in speed.

Throughout the weeks or months prior to race day, you will hopefully have gradually progressed, in terms of your weekly mileage (or time on feet), and will have been training fairly consistently. With your total volume of training peaking with about a fortnight to go, you should have got used to such a level of training, to the extent that your body is expecting to continue to train at that level.

It is when you have got used to this training that bringing it down will enable aches, pains and tightness to go away. And the additional rest that you factor in will allow your body to properly recover and store the invaluable energy required for optimum race performance.

As long as you have trained properly and consistently, winding down your training on approach to race day won’t cause you to lose any of the endurance that you have developed.

Continue with speedwork

As regards your midweek speed work, this can continue through to race week, as stopping this too soon will reduce some of the speed in your legs. Just don’t overdo it in the last few days and unnecessarily risk injury.

By race day, having reduced your training, as well as having continued to consume a healthy and balanced diet, you should find yourself in tiptop condition on the start line, well rested, with heaps of energy, and fully ready to perform.

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May 2, 2021 at 12:12 pm
Brighton Half Marathon 2021  |  Charity news  |  Race news
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Run for You Raise Me Up this June

You Raise Me Up logoFancy putting your lockdown running to good use this summer? The local charity You Raise Me Up provides vital support to families after the death of a child aged 16–25, and is looking for runners to run the Brighton Half on June 27th. 

2021 marks the charity’s 10-year anniversary and it has set itself a fundraising target of £100k to enable them to continue to provide free specialist emotional and mental health support to bereaved families without the need of referrals or waiting lists at a time when just breathing is hard enough.

In the beginning

Polegate-based charity You Raise Me Up was founded 10 years ago by Jane and Fraser Brooks after the tragic loss of their daughter Megan in May 2011. They found themselves in desperate need of comfort from those that had experienced the same loss. They soon realised that there was not anything out there, so they started You Raise Me Up. It was created with love and care for all those that needed it in a time of the most unimaginable pain and grief.

The charity has grown enormously in the last ten years with people still getting the same personal care, compassion and support that is needed. You Raise Me Up offers one-to-one counselling from experienced counsellors, peer support groups for mums and dads and a sign-posting service. It also has a drop-in centre/coffee shop in Polegate, with staff that are trained to support the mental wellbeing of those that need it. The charity runs a 24-hour crisis helpline.

Continued support

It costs the charity an average of £3,500 a year to support a family and the need for this service is ever growing. They are keen to ensure the charity can continue to give that level of support to more families.

Personal challenge

Using a personal challenge to raise funds for YRMU is an amazing thing. Like all charities, it has faced large losses from the impact of COVID-19, so in 2021 they need the help of fundraising from challenge events just like the Brighton Half Marathon. However, it’s not just about money, but awareness, too. As a part of Team YRMU you can wear a charity vest provided by the charity and share your journey on your social media channels. For every person who sees your challenge, someone is learning about the charity and its important cause.

Find out more about the charity and how to run the Brighton Half for YRMU in June.

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April 27, 2021 at 4:12 pm
Brighton Half Marathon 2021
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Speedwork and half marathon training

 

Mike Bannister, founder of our training partner RunBrighton, explains speedwork and why building in some faster-paced sessions are key to a half-marathon training programme.

While the purpose of the long slow run is predominantly to build endurance, speedwork is done to help you run faster.

Speedwork sessions are typically done during the week.

They are normally done by way of ‘interval’ training. This basically means running hard (faster than your half-marathon pace) for a short period, followed by rest or very easy running for a short period, then repeating this a number of times.

A couple of simple examples include: 12 x 400m (with 1-minute recoveries), or 5 x 1 mile (with 2-minute recoveries).

The shorter the effort (e.g. 400m in the above examples), the faster you should run. The pace of these shorter efforts should be broadly similar to your 5k race pace. (Think of the speed at which you would run parkrun.)

Longer efforts, such as your mile reps, should be at closer to your 10k race pace.

And a further key session is longer, ‘threshold’ efforts. These would still be run faster than half-marathon race pace, but not as fast as your 10k race pace.

This way, we train at different paces and use different energy systems.

The talk test

If you’re relatively new to speedwork, think in terms of a ‘talk test’.

We’ve already mentioned in our previous blog post that the long slow run should be done at a relaxed, conversational pace. When running short efforts of speed (like 400m), you should find it difficult to string more than a few words together, without getting breathless. On the longer efforts, you should just about be able to utter a short sentence, but you shouldn’t be capable of holding a fluid conversation. This is just a rough guide, but will help you if you don’t know what your current 5k / 10k race pace is.

Also, if you’re new to interval training, you wouldn’t begin with the kind of sessions listed above; rather you would gradually build up, over the weeks, to these examples. So, each week, you might increase the number of efforts or the effort duration, for example: 6 x 200m… 8 x 200m… 8 x 300m… 8 x 400m. And you could start with longer recoveries and gradually reduce that recovery time each week.

(Don’t forget, significantly stepping up the volume or intensity of your training will increase the risk of getting injured, so always build up gradually.)

Don’t forget the warm up

As with all training runs, a good warm-up at the start is essential to avoid injury, but this is much more important ahead of speedwork sessions. And be sure to include drills that help activate the big running muscles, such as your glutes.

The sessions listed are a simple overview. However, there are plenty of variations. You could do speedwork sessions that include efforts of varying duration and pace, such as ‘pyramid’ sessions (e.g. 1 min, 2 mins, 3 mins, 4 mins, 5 mins, 4 mins, 3 mins, 2 mins, 1 min).

Above all, make your sessions fun! Whatever speedwork you do, if you don’t currently do any speedwork, this is sure to make you run your half marathon faster.

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March 29, 2021 at 4:18 pm
Brighton Half Marathon 2021  |  Charity news
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Charity in focus: The Sussex Beacon

The Sussex Beacon has continued to provide care and support for people living with HIV in Brighton and Sussex during the pandemic. This often meant working even more closely with NHS providers and ensuring that appointments and treatments were provided to diverse groups during an exceptionally challenging time.  

The pressure of coronavirus on the Beacon’s services means that they need the help of their fundraisers more than ever. With limited funds available from Government, the Beacon is reliant on its runners and participants to help provide needed funds. 

Luckily, the Sussex Beacon fields one of the largest groups of runners each year at the Brighton Half Marathon. Under the banner of Team Beacon, these dedicated runners raise money for the Brighton-based charity and ensure that those living with HIV in the area are visible.  

Join us! 

The Brighton Half Marathon is organised and led by the Sussex Beacon on behalf of its service users and also those looked after by other charities. By joining Team Beacon, you’ll ensure that the impact of your fundraising stays local, positively impacting those with the greatest need. 

How we’ll support you 

As the organising charity for the Brighton Half Marathon, the Sussex Beacon has exclusive perks for this event. These include: 

  • A special, dedicated area exclusive to Team Beacon runners. This is located near the race start line. 
  • Private toilets for Team Beacon runners.  
  • A race exclusive medal. 
  • Help with your fundraising from an expert fundraising team. 
  • A Sussex Beacon technical running vest 
  • Invite to a private Team Beacon Facebook group and support from Team Beacon.

Sign up now! 

We’d love you to join Team Beacon and help those living with HIV in Brighton. You can join the fundraising efforts by choosing ‘Team Beacon entry’ on the registration form. 

If you’re interested in discovering more about Team Beacon, visit sussexbeacon.org.uk/team-beacon for more information and updates.  

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at 1:42 pm
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All about the Long Slow Run (LSR)

Mike Bannister, founder of our training partner RunBrighton, explains the long slow run (LSR). Find out why this session is crucial in a half-marathon training programme.

Why is the long, slow run important for half-marathon training?

By ‘slow’, we mean slower than half-marathon race pace.

When we run, we use different energy systems. A long-distance race, such as a half marathon, mainly uses our aerobic system (as opposed to, say, sprinting over a short distance like 100m, which is predominantly anaerobic).

In fact, running a half marathon is approximately 97% aerobic. It’s therefore really important that we train our aerobic capacity, and gradually increasing the duration of the long run will help you achieve this. This is typically the Sunday run in most half-marathon training schedules.

A common error, with many runners, is to run too hard on the long, Sunday run – maybe training at half-marathon race pace for most of the run. Don’t forget, this long training run is principally about developing your aerobic capacity, gradually increasing time on feet, and building endurance. It’s not about improving your speed.

From time to time, half-marathon race pace is incorporated into the long run. But certainly not for the whole of every long run.

Sessions to improve speed are done differently, and they typically form part of your midweek training.

One of the problems with running too hard on the long, Sunday run, is that you’re unlikely to recover sufficiently to properly execute your midweek speed-training sessions. There can then become an imbalance, as regards your whole week’s training. The long run is essential for half-marathon training and, if it is done too fast, not only can it be an inefficient way to train, you also increase the risk of developing an injury.

As a rough guide, the long run should normally be done at approximately 10-15% slower than half-marathon race-day pace (circa 1 minute-per-mile slower than race pace).

As an example, if a realistic target time for your half marathon is 2 hours (an average pace of approximately 9 minutes-per-mile), the pace of your long run should be approximately 10 minutes-per-mile. A tip, to ensure your long run is done at the correct pace, is to keep it conversational. You should be capable of holding a fluid conversation throughout your training run. If you find yourself becoming breathless and you struggle to string a sentence together, you’re probably training too hard.

So, keep it easy, have a nice chat, enjoy the scenery, improve your endurance and develop your aerobic capacity!

Membership with RunBrighton

You can now sign up for membership with our training partner, RunBrighton, for their build-up to the Brighton Half Marathon. But be quick as places are limited. Membership revolves around a group run every Sunday, alongside a range of associated benefits. Find out more at RunBrighton.com.

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March 17, 2021 at 10:50 am
All news  |  Brighton Half Marathon 2021  |  Race team blog
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March 2021 event update

In light of the Government’s recent publication of the UK’s roadmap out of lockdown and with less than 4 months to go until race day (or 3.5 weeks if you prefer!), we wanted to update you on our planning around this year’s event.

The roadmap sets out steps, with timelines, for moving out of lockdown and has clear implications for the delivery of outdoor events such as ours.

The good news is of course is that the timescales identified would place our event beyond the current date by which restrictions will have ended.

Whilst we welcome the announcement, we are realistic about the implications for our planning if there is any slippage in the timescales identified by the Government, and for that reason we believe it is still sensible to continue to plan on the basis of delivering a COVID secure event, namely:

  • Halving the number of general registration places to this year’s event
  • Introducing social distancing measures at the start/finish area
  • Staggered start lines based on race pen allocation
  • Race village restricted to runner-only entry
  • Reducing or removing potential touch points at the event – including baggage, goody bags and drinks stations
  • Increased sanitation points around the event
  • Removing the Youth Races from our program

There are areas of detail that the Government will update over the coming weeks and we are in regular contact with the local authority to ensure that we are aware of any developments locally in Brighton & Hove and on a more national scale that might affect delivery of the event in June.

We will continue to keep you updated.

The Brighton Half Marathon team

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March 15, 2021 at 12:32 pm
All news  |  Brighton Half Marathon 2021  |  Charity news
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Don’t let cancer become the forgotten ‘C’ during this pandemic

When coronavirus hit, thousands of vital cancer treatments, appointments and care were postponed or cancelled. Now, during the third wave, the consequences of continued disruption to cancer services are impossible to ignore. Again, people aren’t able to get the timely support they need, and the emotional impact of the outbreak is continuing to take its toll on people already struggling.

Cancer cannot become the forgotten ‘C’ during this pandemic. We need to see national and local action to deliver on cancer recovery plans, clear the backlog and get cancer services back on track.

How you can help

Join Team Macmillan for the Brighton Half Marathon and help us reach our goal of providing everyone with support from day one.

How we’ll support you

In return we’ll support you every step of the way, and provide you with these resources free of charge:

  • A fundraising pack which will have all the help you’ll need to absolutely smash your fundraising target
  • A Macmillan technical T-shirt or running vest, plus iron on letters to customise your kit
  • Access to the Macmillan training zone to make sure you’re ready for race day
  • Invited to a private Team Macmillan Facebook group

Plus, much more!

So, what are you waiting for? Get the support you need to get to the finish line whilst raising money to help people living with cancer. Find out more information here.

Sign up now

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March 2, 2021 at 10:11 am
Brighton Half Marathon 2021
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Our event director chats to Sally Gunnell in new podcast

Lots of people had a lockdown project in 2020, and our Event Director David Hill was no exception. Together with the team at E3, which produces the Brighton Half Marathon on behalf of charity The Sussex Beacon, last year he transformed his E3 offices in Hove into state-of-the-art digital studios for photographic and video shoots, podcast recordings and more. ‘Twelve A Studios’ was born, and with the studios complete, the team at Twelve A just needed their first show!

Schmoozing is David’s new podcast, which sees David in conversation with his friends from TV, film, light entertainment, comedy, politics and sport.

The first podcast sees David chat to Sally Gunnell OBE. David talks to Sally about her incredible career in sport, which saw her crowned Olympic champion in the hurdles at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. Sally is also the only woman to hold the World, Olympic, European and Commonwealth gold medals at the same time. With Sally an ambassador for the Brighton Half, the pair also talk the ins and outs of training, and how to keep motivated to continue running after lockdown is lifted.

It’s a fascinating listen – and a podcast to listen to while running! You can listen and subscribe on Spotify, YouTube and Buzzsprout.

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March 1, 2021 at 11:12 am
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Run for Alzheimer’s Society in June

Alzheimer's SocietyRun the 2021 Brighton Half Marathon for Alzheimer’s Society

By 2025, one million people will be living with the condition in the UK. But dementia won’t win. Until the day we find a cure, Alzheimer’s Society will be there for anyone affected by dementia – wherever they are, whatever they’re going through.

We know we can beat dementia, but we can’t do it alone. We need you to run for us with the support of our dedicated team. We need your miles, your energy and your determination. We need you to help put an end to dementia.

Sign up now

Reasons to run for us:

  • We know training is tough, but you’re tougher. We’ll make sure you have expert knowledge from our professional coaches at your fingertips.
  • We’ll send you an Alzheimer’s Society running top to represent the team on the day.
  • We’ll work with you to fundraise as much as you can. We’ll send you newsletters full of top tips and are always at the end of the phone to talk ideas.
  • You’ll have access to our Alzheimer’s Society Running Team Facebook group where you can chat to your fellow runners and share tips and ideas.

By running the Brighton Half Marathon for us, we can continue to deliver ground-breaking research. Alzheimer’s Society is the only UK charity funding research into prevention and a cure for dementia, whilst also caring for people affected today.

£50 could turn 13 ordinary citizens into superhero Dementia Friends! There is a stigma attached to living with dementia that is both deeply hurtful, and overwhelmingly unfair. Dementia Friends is at its core an instrument for societal change, waking people up to the truth about dementia and helping them understand the impact on people’s lives.

£300 could support one of our Research Network Volunteers for six months. These volunteers are dementia experts by experience. After training, they read every research application that comes to Alzheimer’s Society for funding to ensure that our research stays relevant, impactful and life   changing for people affected by dementia.

£500 could begin the Dementia Connect journey for 50 people with a call from one of our telephone-based Dementia Advisors. This first contact with a person living with dementia, their carer, or family member is the initial step in understanding how we can best support them.

Join the race. Beat dementia. Run the 2021 Brighton Half Marathon for Alzheimer’s Society.

Sign up now

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February 16, 2021 at 3:24 pm
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Could a personal trainer help with your half marathon training?

You’ve done it: your registration for the Brighton Half Marathon has gone through! You begin telling people that you are running the half marathon when all of a sudden, you realise you seriously need to train…Where do you start!? Whether this is a bucket list one-off, you are running for a charity or you are a seasoned pro looking to achieve a PB, who can help you train for what will inevitably be a hugely tough challenge?

The answer to this question is slightly more complex than you think and fully depends on your personal situation. As a Personal Trainer with 10 years in the industry and founder of The Fitness Movement, a local Fitness-based education provider, it may surprise you that I would not necessarily advocate hiring a Personal Trainer to help you prepare.

That is, if you are an experienced marathon runner, perhaps chasing your personal best time and looking to arrive at this year’s starting line in a more conditioned state, a Personal Trainer is probably not for you. In such circumstances, you would benefit more from specialist support – with either a Run Coach, a Strength and Conditioning Specialist or a Nutritionist. You may even want to combine all three depending on your budget and competitive standard. Try looking for a local run club, or visiting the UK Strength and Conditioning Association’s Find a Coach section on their website or searching on the Sport and Exercise Nutrition Register for a qualified Nutritionist.

Who would benefit from a Personal Trainer?

However, if you are a relative beginner to running or entering on a less competitive basis, then working with a Personal Trainer may be the best thing you could do. Aside from providing general support and structure to your training, two key areas where a Personal Trainer could excel are general overall fitness and fat loss.

At the start of your training journey, you may feel not only as though you are lacking the fitness required to run a half marathon (which let’s face it, is no mean feat), but daunted or even entirely overwhelmed at the challenge of getting to the finish line. Knowing where to begin in structuring a programme that will take you from your current state to a position of feeling fitter and, most importantly, confident in your ability to run for a sustained period of time is very important. A Personal Trainer could certainly offer you this: 12 weeks of structured programming to follow which is progressive towards your goal and the accountability to keep you on track alongside it.

Lose excess body fat

The second key focus which could aid your pending marathon success is losing any excess body fat*. Carrying excess body fat is not only bad for our health and demanding on our bodies, but essentially corresponds to carrying extra weight whilst running! Consider it this way: imagine wearing a weighted 10kg backpack for your next run – not only would your run feel much tougher, but this could place a lot more pressure on your knees. Take that backpack off again however, and you would find your run a lot easier.

*Remember we are talking about excess body fat. If you are already at a healthy body fat percentage (again, something a Personal Trainer could assist you in determining) then ignore this – and remember fat is also the primary source of fuel for long duration activity!

In conclusion, if you are relatively new to marathon running, do not know where to start, need some kind of structure to your training, want to improve fitness and/or possibly lose some body fat then a Personal Trainer would be a great option.

What to look for in a PT

You can expect to pay anywhere from £30-£50 per session for Personal Training, but make sure whoever you choose has a Level 3 Diploma in Personal Training as a minimum and is fully insured. Included in your session price should be a progressive programme tailored especially to your goals and current fitness level. Don’t feel afraid to question any trainers you approach on their experience and discuss how they would set about helping you – if you are looking to invest in a trainer, it is important to make the right choice.

Remember that having a training partner can also be a great way to keep motivated and stay accountable. This could involve training with your run buddy, or even asking a Personal Trainer if they would be willing to offer a deal for two people training together. This could be a more cost-effective way to get professional help without breaking the bank.

Finally, enjoy the process and do not forget to book in that post-race massage – you will most definitely have earnt it.

If you need any further help with anything discussed in this article, feel free to contact us at info@thefitnessmovement.co.uk and we will be more than happy to help.

The Fitness Movement are a fitness education provider based in Brighton and Hove offering Level 2 Gym Instructor and Level 3 Personal Trainer qualifications. Visit them at: www.thefitnessmovement.co.uk.

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February 12, 2021 at 6:17 am
Brighton Half Marathon 2021  |  Charity news
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Charity spotlight: Macmillan

At Macmillan, we give people with cancer everything we’ve got. If you’re diagnosed, your worries are our worries. We will move mountains to help you live life as fully as you can.

And we don’t stop there. We’re going all out to find ever better ways to help people with cancer, helping to bring forward the day when everyone gets life-transforming support from day one.

How you can help

We’re doing whatever it takes. But without your help we can’t support everyone who needs us.

Join Team Macmillan for the Brighton Half Marathon and help us reach our goal of providing everyone with support from day one.

  • £10 makes a difference. Every £10 we spend on our phone service could help people affected by cancer claim £355 in benefits they are entitled to.
  • £20 makes a difference. £20 could help run our Online Community for over an hour, helping 111 people affected by cancer to connect with each other.
  • £30 makes a difference. £30 could pay for a Macmillan nurse providing essential medical, practical and emotional support for 1 hour.
  • £50 makes a difference. £50 could help an energy specialist deal with a call or query from someone with cancer struggling with their energy bills.

How we’ll support you

In return we’ll support you every step of the way, and provide you with these resources free of charge:

  • A fundraising pack which will have all the help you’ll need to absolutely smash your fundraising target
  • A Macmillan technical T-shirt or running vest, plus iron on letters to customise your kit
  • Access to the Macmillan training zone to make sure you’re ready for race day
  • Invited to a private Team Macmillan Facebook group

Plus, much more!

So, what are you waiting for? Get the support you need to get to the finish line whilst raising money to help people living with cancer.

Sign up now

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January 30, 2021 at 8:45 am
Brighton Half Marathon 2021  |  Charity news
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Turn your miles into crucial dementia support with Alzheimer’s Society

Beat dementia: Alzheimer's Society

Coronavirus has changed everything for people affected by dementia, and it will continue to impact their lives for many more months.

For almost 12 months now it has been heart-breaking. Family and friends have felt the pain and isolation of being cut off from loved ones living in care homes or struggling with the pressure of caring for their loved one at home alone.

Throughout the pandemic, Alzheimer’s Society’s online and phone support services have provided a lifeline and been an emergency service for people affected by dementia who may have nobody else to turn to.

People like Kevin and his wife Jeannette, who has dementia and is living in a care home. For the past two and a half years, Kevin has visited every single day. But multiple lockdowns have meant that the once inseparable couple have been kept apart for months on end. This separation and only being able to see Jean through a window left Kevin distraught.

Thanks to our incredible supporters, Kevin has been receiving weekly Companion Calls from Rachel, an Alzheimer’s Society volunteer.

‘I saw light at the end of the tunnel. I was so thankful because I knew that there was someone out there that would support me, that would help me. Someone I could talk to. That was my lifeline.’ Kevin, carer

Run the Brighton Half Marathon for Alzheimer’s Society and help show people like Kevin that they are not alone.

Join the race. Sign up to run for Alzheimer’s Society today.

Sign up now

 

Why your support mattersYou could change lives

Our expert support staff have been there for tens of thousands of people affected by dementia when they’ve needed us the most. To date, we have answered over 37,500 calls to our Dementia Connect support line, provided online support to over 450,000 on our online community Talking Point, and made nearly 50,000 Companion Calls to over 2,700 people to help them feel less lonely.

These services have been a lifeline for many. Your support will help keep this lifeline on.

The benefits of joining Team Alzheimer’s Society

Join us to unite against dementia and in return we’ll support you every step of the way. Some of the benefits you will receive are:

  • An Alzheimer’s Society running top to wear with pride on the day
  • A fundraising pack and support from our dedicated events team to help you smash your fundraising target
  • Access to our training zone, with training guides for all abilities as well as information from our professional coaches on everything you need to get you race-ready, including nutrition and tapering
  • Access to a Facebook group so you can chat to other runners
  • The biggest cheers on the course and motivational support on the big day

Join Team Alzheimer’s Society at the Brighton Half Marathon and your miles can provide crucial dementia support.

Sign up now

 

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January 25, 2021 at 9:41 am
All news  |  Brighton Half Marathon 2021  |  Race news  |  Race team blog
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Jan 2021 event update

Race team blog

Keeping our community safe

With six months to go until race day we wanted to update you on our planning for the 2021 Brighton Half Marathon on Sunday June 27th.

The health & safety of all our runners, volunteers, colleagues and partners will always be our number one priority in the event. The rollout of the vaccination program has been welcome news, but in line with government advice we are not treating this as a cause for complacency and will continue to plan for this year’s Brighton Half as a COVID-compliant event.

We are conscious that the guidance around staging outdoor events is constantly evolving but we want to reassure you that all planning for the event is reviewed in a multi-agency forum, which means that in addition to the key stakeholders that help us deliver the event, local agencies such as the police, fire and ambulance service, NHS and of course the local authority, all have an opportunity to review and comment on our plans.

These are currently the key aspects of our planning for this year’s event:

  • Halving the number of general registration places to this year’s event
  • Introducing social distancing measures at the start/finish area
  • Staggered start lines based on race pen allocation
  • Race village restricted to runner-only entry
  • Reducing or removing potential touch points at the event – including baggage, goody bags, and drinks stations
  • Increased sanitation points around the event
  • Removing the Youth Races from our program

We will of course keep you updated on our plans in the coming months in light of changes to government guidelines and latest Public Health England advice.

If you have any questions in the meantime, you can get in touch with us at the event inbox half.marathon@sussexbeacon.org.uk and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Keep focused on your training and we will see you soon,

BHM Team

 

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October 22, 2020 at 1:43 pm
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2021 date postponement statement

Revised date statement

We are sorry to announce that the Brighton Half Marathon is postponed from 28thFebruary 2021 to Sunday 27th June 2021 following the recent escalation of Covid-19 cases and change in Public Health guidance.

We opened the 2021 event in July in a mood of optimism following the relaxing of three months of national lockdown. With restrictions once again tightening and likely to be in place for months longer, we need to change our plans to ensure that runners, spectators, volunteers and staff are all safe at the event.

Bill Puddicombe, Chief Executive of The Sussex Beacon, organisers of the event commented:
“We have taken this decision to protect public health. The half marathon is always a celebration of fitness, community and support for the voluntary sector. We want to ensure that 2021’s event will be the inspiring event that people have all come to expect. It will almost certainly not be possible in February.

“We understand that runners will be disappointed at the delay but of course, all bookings will be honoured for the new June event – our “Midsummer Half”.

In reaching this decision we have consulted extensively with the Local Authority and other key stakeholders as well as reviewing the latest guidelines and advice of the national sports bodies on delivering a safe and secure COVID compliant event.

Ian Taylor, Events Manager at Brighton & Hove City Council said:
“The City Council fully supports The Sussex Beacon in their decision to move the Brighton Half Marathon to later in 2021. It is a great community event, staged by an important local charity, and we believe that a date later in the year will give the opportunity for the event to take place with a good number of runners and with public support.”

Although we are all hopeful that current efforts to minimise the impact of COVID will enable some easing of restrictions next year, we will be working on plans to deliver a safe, secure and socially distanced event.

As well as focusing on the start/finish area of the event, we will also be considering the potential for staggered start times for participants.

To enable our planning to progress we also feel it is sensible at this stage to limit the number of overall participants we would normally accept, with the potential (via a ballot) to release more places at a later date if we feel it is safe to do so.

We will be emailing all 2021 participants today with their options for 2021, which you can also view here.

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July 14, 2020 at 9:02 am
Brighton Half Marathon 2021
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A new look for the 2021 event

Meet Beaky

As the race enters its fourth decade in 2021, we’ve had a bit of revamp in the style stakes. We want the event branding to really get to the heart of our event: colourful, quirky and quintessentially Brighton!

Seagulls are a sight you’ll spot within a few seconds of arriving in the seafront city and the bird takes pride of place in our new logo. The gull’s name is of course ’Beaky’ – a nod to the fact that the event is organised by local charity The Sussex Beacon and event proceeds each year go directly to help those living with HIV.

What do you think of our new look? Let us know on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or by email – we’d love to hear what you think!

A changing running scene since this year’s event

Since we held our 30th anniversary race back in February this year, the running scene has changed dramatically and in ways we could never have imagined at the start of the year.  We were very fortunate that we were able to hold the 2020 race, and our heart goes out to fellow event organisers – and runners taking part in these events – who have faced such an unpredictable path over the past few months.

We know how much running and exercise means to so many people and if lockdown has shown us one thing, it is that people who may not have run regularly for many years have taken the opportunity to dust down their trainers and head outdoors.

The beauty of running is that it can of course be a solitary sport. We hope you have managed to keep running during uncertain times.

Take care and we hope to see you on the start line in 2021.

Martin and the BHM team