01 / KNOW THE ROUTE
What the course asks of you
Let the early climbs change your pace
The current course description places the main climbs in the first 11 miles. Practise letting speed fall on a rise while keeping the effort controlled. Trying to hold one exact split over every change of gradient can make a small climb unnecessarily costly.
Use the coast to settle
The route heads out towards Ovingdean and returns above the marina before later seafront running. For training, the useful lesson is to settle after a rise without forcing the downhill to repay every second. Learn to regain a relaxed rhythm.
Leave something for Hove
The current route goes through Hove before the finish at Hove Lawns. Treat that later section as part of the race to prepare for, not as a formality after the early hills. Keep the practical routine simple when attention starts to fade.
02 / BUILD THE BLOCK
How to prepare
Include gentle undulations
Use a rolling road route for some easy or steady runs so changing gradient feels normal. Keep hill sessions controlled and add the volume gradually. There is no need to recreate the whole race in one training outing.
Practise the transition back to steady running
Within an appropriate session, move from an easy climb back to relaxed level running. Notice whether you tense your shoulders or accelerate sharply after the crest. Smooth transitions help preserve the effort you want for the rest of the marathon.
Plan for the conditions you get
On a coastal training run, practise judging effort when wind changes direction. Do not force a calm-day target into a headwind or assume the race will have any particular weather. Include fuelling practice in that concentration work.
Keep the running and strength work in one place. Explore MaxMile for your Brighton Marathon preparation, or compare the levels of personal coaching.
03 / PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
Pace the race you have trained for
Start patiently and let the hills determine the pace while you manage effort. Resist treating a downhill or a loud crowd section as an invitation to spend energy you have not planned to spend.
Once the course becomes steadier, return to the breathing and rhythm you rehearsed. Keep taking fuel and work through the final Hove miles in short, manageable sections. Adjust your goal to the day rather than defending early splits.
04 / MAKE ROOM FOR TRAINING
When should your block start?
A 16-week block ending on 4 April 2027 starts on 13 December 2026. This is a calendar example, not a prescription. Start from the running you can repeat now and allow extra time if you first need to build consistency.
Put the race and the weeks when work, travel or family will interrupt training into your diary before adding key sessions. Protect the recovery around the more demanding work and reduce the load towards race day. A shorter plan does not remove the need for a suitable base.
05 / SORT THE PRACTICAL BITS
Kit and race-weekend planning
Test road shoes and clothing over a rolling long run. Practise carrying your fuel and check the latest organiser information for supplies instead of assuming every drinks point provides the same thing.
Plan travel to Preston Park and the arrangements after finishing at Hove Lawns as two separate journeys. Use the final participant guide for your start wave, baggage and transport, rather than a timetable from another edition.