My girlfriend did it last year. It’s pretty hilly at the start, and then a bit bleak as it goes out to the power station where there are no crowds, and you can see exactly how far you have to run, but the support at the finish is amazing.
Going to cheer her on there was the big motivator for me wanting to step up to the distance.
The good thing about the route is that it is pretty easy to see someone multiple times, with just a little walking. I think I managed to cheer on my girlfriend at five different locations on the route.
knowing how much of a boost seeing someone you know can be when the going gets tough, that’s actually a big plus.
i was mortified at the hackney half last year when my wife told me her and my son had seen me earlier in the course than i’d expected - my son ran alongside about 100m shouting at me but i was totally oblivious…
Yeah, I’ve got a few friends and family who have said that they’ll be cheering me on in the marathon, and I’ve had to ask them to tell me where they will be standing, to within a hundred yards, and on what side of the road, as I have a tendency to daydream and go into a bit of tunnel vision when I run.
I thought I’d run past my GF and dad at the manchester marathon at a couple of points, but it turned out I’d just beaten them to each spot by a couple of minutes
It was great—lovely atmosphere and a weird and varied course. I wouldn’t run it again I don’t think, but purely because I’m overly familiar with the route from training etc.
If you’d like to do a marathon, I can’t see why Brighton wouldn’t be a good choice.
“However, those in the 2-3 hour finish time band only run on average between 4 and 5 days a week. This might sound like a lot, but it is less than most training programs suggest, most recommend one rest day ever other week.” - really??