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Race Report – Brighton Trail Marathon 26/6/22 by Nicole Jackson

I signed up for this race during my post Manchester Marathon buzz back in April. I fancied trying something new and hadn’t done a trail marathon yet so it seemed like a great place to start. Having contracted Covid two week prior, the plan was to treat it as a ‘holiday run’ and just take it easy and enjoy the stunning surroundings. Didn’t quite work out that way mind you…

The race started in East Brighton Park with the normal nervous energy and excitement. I hadn’t really studied the course map very well – I just knew there were six climbs and I planned to walk all of them. We were climbing right from the get go, up to Brighton Race Course. The view from there, back to the sea was amazing but I was already getting too competitive to stop for photos. We were quickly in amongst rolling hills and fields and I remembered I love trail running. The variety makes for a much more interesting run and, unlike Manchester and Edinburgh marathons, the miles seemed to fly in. As I mentioned, I knew there were six climbs, but I couldn’t really figure out when I was climbing one of the ‘actual’ hills. It did feel like we were going up more than down a lot of the time. Turns out that wasn’t actually the case and I made the most of the fast paced, technical, downhill routes when I could. The aid stations were wonderful. Lots of very fresh faced and friendly volunteers offering a variety of different snacks and drinks. Orange segments were an absolute dream at the top of climb 5 – The Beacon Loop. This particular climb was a race of its own within the marathon. There was a prize for King and Queen of the Beacon. Naively, I wondered at the start if I might be in with a shot – oh how wrong I was. I definitely dragged myself up the majority of this one, only running for the odd photographer.

My plan to walk most of the major climbs and run the rest seemed to have worked in my favour as I managed to avoid the ‘wall.’ I was, however, thrilled to see the finish line and managed a sprint to the end before collapsing in the grass under the blazing sunshine in the gorgeous Stanmer Park. As my partner Jamie told me at the start, my idea of a relaxed, ‘holiday run,’ where I would stop for pictures and take my time at the aid stations was unrealistic. Can’t seem to help myself and get caught up in it all.

My first trail marathon was definitely a success and I would highly recommend this race to anyone who fancies something like this. It was a really relaxed atmosphere, well supported and a stunning route. Now onto the next one…