Seven thousand take part in Brighton Half Marathon

Seven thousand runners took part in the Brighton Half Marathon today (Sunday 16 February).

Paul Martelletti successfully defended his title as the sun shone after days of strong winds and heavy rain.

He and his fellow runners experienced perfect running conditions with clear blue skies, a light breeze and temperatures between 7C to 9C.

The Brighton Half Marathon is organised by the Sussex Beacon and is the HIV charity’s main fundraising event.

This year 6,996 runners started, with Paul Martelletti and Sarah Hill claiming the winning titles.

Spectators lined the streets of Brighton and Hove to cheer on the runners and to show their support for the event.

Martelletti (Victoria Park Harriers / Run-fast) took the lead from the start and successfully defended his title from 2013, finishing in a time of 01:05:52.

He was mire than a minute ahead of runner up Tom Aldred (London Heathside) and over a minute and half faster than his winning time last year.

In a sprint finish Paolo Natali (ATL Firenze Marathon) beat Kevin Rojas (Brighton and Hove AC) and secured third place in a time of 01:08:08.

Sarah Hill (Farnham Runners) dominated the women’s field and secured the win in a time of 01:18:43, ahead of Deidre McDermot who crossed the finish line in 01:20:15.

Claire Grima (Hercules Wimbledon) came third in a time of 01:20:45.

The 1-mile Youth Races, which started and finished at the same point as the main race, saw 393 young runners of all levels and abilities take part across four age categories, with the biggest number of runners in the 7 to 10 years age category.