Thousands run in Brighton Marathon – pictures

More than 9,000 runners started the third Brighton Marathon this morning (Sunday 15 April).

The winners of the men’s and the women’s races broke the course records.

And the organisers said that they expected those taking part to have raised in the region of £4 million for more than 300 charities.

Brighton and Hove Albion manager Gus Poyet started the race in Preston Park at 9am on a fresh sunny morning.

Tens of thousands of spectators lined the route cheering on the competitors as they completed the revised 26.2 mile course – flatter and faster than last year’s.

After a lap of Preston Park, the route went south towards the seafront before doubling back past the Royal Pavilion, St Peter’s Church and The Level.

The runners then headed back towards the sea and followed the A259 coast road to Ovingdean. The hilly loop around Ovingdean Hall was cut from the route this year.

After tracking back along the seafront, the runners turned inland at Grand Avenue in Hove and made their way along Church Road and New Church Road to Boundary Road.

It was the back to Grand Avenue by the same route before heading west along the seafront and through Shoreham Harbour to the power station.

From there runners joined the seafront proper at Hove Lagoon ad followed the prom past the Palace Pier to the finish in Madeira Drive.

Three Kenyan athletes were the first to finish with 21-year-old Peter Some knocking four minutes off the course record with a time of 2:12:01.

Sviatlana Kouhan, from Belarus, was the first woman to finish with a time of 2:29:36, beating the course record by five minutes.

Brighton club runner Mats Gedin, of Withdean-based Arena 80, came in 14th and shaved more than a minute off his time last year to complete the course in 2:44:50.

He was among five Brighton club runners in the top 50 men, with Phoenix and Brighton and Hove Athletics Club also represented.

Emily Proto, from Arena 80, and Cathy Ulliott, from Brighton and Hove, came in ninth and tenth respectively in the women’s race with times of 3:12:39 and 3:14:09.

Almost 9,000 runners crossed the finish line, many running in support of the official charities, including the NSPCC and Hope For Children.

The event officially backs six local charities