A record breaking 14,000 people took to the streets of Brighton for the Brighton marathon 2026 on Sunday 12th April, the annual marathon had a fantastic turnout! Creating a vibrant atmosphere and motivation every step of the way!
With 14,000 participants in the Brighton Marathon and, earlier, more than 3,500 finished the Brighton and Hove 10k it was a record-breaking event, according to the organisers, with more than 20,000 runners taking place in a weekend of events.
The Brighton marathon is known for its coastal route which can often kick up some brutal wind! Which made this race challenging but a spectacular race for participants. Despite some wind, the runners had constant support. Spectators lined large sections of the course, particularly along the seafront, creating a lively environment, with music, banners, and cheering. For so many runners, this crowd presence proved crucial in maintaining momentum throughout the race, specifically the later stages.
Sam Cook, from Horsham, crossed the line first for the men’s marathon, for the second year running with his 2026 time being 2 hours and 25 minutes!
For the women, Amy Harris, another local winner, finished first with a time of 2 hours and 49 seconds! Amy Harris told the BBC “It felt like we had support the whole way.” Taking the win was not unusual to Harris either as she won the Brighton and Hove 10k in 2025.
Among the thousands of amazing participants who completed the Brighton Marathon, huge congratulations are in order for one particular runner Clarke Reynolds, who has now become the first blind man to complete a marathon using Meta Glasses and Be My Eyes. Be My Eyes uses an online community of sighted volunteers to help blind and visually impaired people to identify objects and manage everyday situations. Since the start of Clarke Reynolds training roughly 400 volunteers helped Clarke to cross the finish line! “Without the people in my ears, I would have given up at mile 15, the support was outstanding.” Reynolds said.
Brighton had a busy weekend with the Brighton Marathon being the centrepiece event of the weekend which saw events that stretched from an Official Shakeout Run on Friday 10th, the family friendly Brighton Miles on Saturday 11th then onto the the trio of events on Sunday 12th being the Brighton and Hove 10k, the Brighton Marathon and the brand-new Brighton Trail Marathon.
Brighton Marathon Weekend event director Joe Carter said, “this has been the best and biggest Brighton Marathon Weekend ever.” The support from the spectators really kept all the runners going throughout this marathon. “We are so proud that while increasing participant numbers, we’re improving our sustainability initiatives each year and the introduction of our team of pluggers this year, who collected rubbish throughout the whole route, showed the importance of delivering not just the best marathon, but also the greenest marathon in our history.” This Brighton Marathon was truly inspiring, Brightons level of support, inclusivity and enthusiasm can truly not be beaten.