Compiled and fact-checked by Tommo, Verus founder · Last verified August 2026 · Spot an error?
Running · Marathons
Brighton Marathon 2027
- Race day
- Sunday, 4 April 2027
- Location
- Brighton, UK
- Distance
- 26.2 mi / 42.2 km
Brighton Marathon: 4 April 2027. Entry, course, elevation, charity places, a pace calculator.
Brighton Marathon Race Timeline
206 days to go
More than 84 days out — a good window to build a consistent base before marathon-specific training ramps up.
Brighton Marathon 2027: quick answers
When is Brighton Marathon 2027?
Brighton Marathon 2027 takes place on Sunday, 4 April 2027.
What time does Brighton Marathon start?
The official 2027 start time hasn't been published yet. Confirmed ~5 weeks before race day, typically around 09:45.
Where does Brighton Marathon start and finish?
Brighton Marathon starts at Preston Park and finishes at Hove Lawns.
How many miles is Brighton Marathon?
Brighton Marathon is 26.2 miles (42.2km).
How much elevation gain does Brighton Marathon have?
Brighton Marathon has approximately 477ft of total elevation gain. Brighton Marathon is often billed as flat and fast, but it isn't pancake-flat. There's a real climb in the first kilometre out of Preston Park (up Preston Park Avenue), and a steady, gradual climb out to the Ovingdean turnaround around miles 7-13 along the clifftops. Total elevation gain across the whole course is 477ft (145m) — most of it front-loaded in the first half. The closing miles along the Hove seafront are genuinely flat, which is exactly where a fast finish tends to happen. Fast course by UK marathon standards, just not entirely flat.
How much does Brighton Marathon cost to enter?
Entry is direct through the official Brighton Marathon Weekend site or Let's Do This — no qualifying time required. General Entry was £79.99 as of Aug 2026; always confirm the current price before entering, as it can rise as places sell out.
How can I track a runner at Brighton Marathon?
Friends and family can track runners in real time via the official event app, available to download in the week before race day.
Key Race Metrics & Overview
- Date
- Sunday, 4 April 2027
- Distance
- 26.2 miles / 42.2km
- Location
- Brighton, UK
- Start Point
- Preston Park
- Finish Point
- Hove Lawns
- Elevation gain
- 477 ft (145m)
- Surface
- Closed public roads, tarmac throughout
- Cut-off time
- The official cut-off to complete the course is 7 hours from the start.
- Age requirement
- Runners must be 18 or over on race day. (The Brighton & Hove 10K allows 16+, and the Brighton Miles has no minimum age.)
- Official pacers
- 3:00, 3:15, 3:30, 3:45, 4:00, 4:15, 4:30, 4:45, 5:00, 5:15, 5:30, 5:45, 6:00, 6:30, 7:00
- Tracking app
- Friends and family can track runners in real time via the official event app, available to download in the week before race day.
Not published by the organiser at the time of writing: start time. Verus records these as unconfirmed rather than estimating them — check the official race website closer to race day.
Direct Entry Summary
Entry is direct through the official Brighton Marathon Weekend site or Let's Do This — no qualifying time required. General Entry was £79.99 as of Aug 2026; always confirm the current price before entering, as it can rise as places sell out.
Ballot Policy
No ballot — unlike London, Brighton Marathon is first come, first served. Entries for 2027 opened in April 2026, so places can sell out well ahead of race day.
Brighton Marathon Race Day Weather
A real forecast appears here once one exists for race day — usually about a week to ten days out. Nothing is shown until then, because a made-up forecast is worse than none.
Brighton Marathon Route Map & Elevation Profile
Starting at Preston Park and finishing at Hove Lawns. 477 ft of total elevation gain across 26.2 miles.
Is Brighton Marathon flat?
Brighton Marathon is often billed as flat and fast, but it isn't pancake-flat. There's a real climb in the first kilometre out of Preston Park (up Preston Park Avenue), and a steady, gradual climb out to the Ovingdean turnaround around miles 7-13 along the clifftops. Total elevation gain across the whole course is 477ft (145m) — most of it front-loaded in the first half. The closing miles along the Hove seafront are genuinely flat, which is exactly where a fast finish tends to happen. Fast course by UK marathon standards, just not entirely flat.
Brighton Marathon Course Profile
477 ft total elevation gain.
Tap a point on the course for details.
Preston Park
Start line.
Preston Park start climb
+66ft (20m) — 20m gain over a 700m stretch, right after the start.
St James's Street
+39ft (12m) — A shorter climb through the city-centre stretch.
Climb into the Ovingdean U-turn
+46ft (14m) — A steady climb along the clifftops leading into the turnaround.
Where Brighton Marathon starts and finishes
These are the start and finish points, not the route. Verus doesn't hold course files for this race, and drawing a line between two pins would be a guess you might end up training on. The official course map is the one to use: view it on the organiser's site .
Full Brighton Marathon Route Breakdown
A flat, fast, closed-road course through Brighton and Hove. It starts in Preston Park, climbs briefly up Preston Park Avenue before descending Preston Drove, then runs north along London Road before heading back through the city centre past the Theatre Royal and Royal Pavilion. Miles 7-13 move onto Marine Parade for a clifftop stretch out to the Ovingdean turnaround, passing above Brighton Marina near the halfway point. The route hits its loudest stretch around Aquarium Junction and Madeira Drive (mile 15, through Charity Cheer Avenue), with an out-and-back past Brighton Pier, the i360, the Grand Hotel and the Peace Statue. The final miles run through Hove along Grand Avenue, Church Road and Hove Promenade, finishing on Hove Lawns.
Brighton Marathon Pace Calculator & Splits
Brighton Marathon Pace Calculator
Enter a target finish time to see your pace and projected splits.
Average pace / mile
9:10
Average pace / km
5:42
Brighton Marathon Pace Chart
Official pacers cover 3:00, 3:15, 3:30, 3:45, 4:00, 4:15, 4:30, 4:45, 5:00, 5:15, 5:30, 5:45, 6:00, 6:30, 7:00. Split markers calculated for standard checkpoints.
| Target | Pace /mi | Pace /km | 5K | 10K | Half Marathon | 30K | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3:00 | 6:52 | 4:16 | 21:21 | 42:41 | 1:30:04 | 2:08:04 | 3:00:00 |
| 3:15 | 7:27 | 4:37 | 23:07 | 46:15 | 1:37:34 | 2:18:44 | 3:15:00 |
| 3:30 | 8:01 | 4:59 | 24:54 | 49:48 | 1:45:05 | 2:29:25 | 3:30:00 |
| 3:45 | 8:35 | 5:20 | 26:41 | 53:22 | 1:52:35 | 2:40:05 | 3:45:00 |
| 4:00 | 9:10 | 5:42 | 28:28 | 56:55 | 2:00:05 | 2:50:46 | 4:00:00 |
| 4:15 | 9:44 | 6:03 | 30:14 | 1:00:29 | 2:07:35 | 3:01:26 | 4:15:00 |
| 4:30 | 10:18 | 6:24 | 32:01 | 1:04:02 | 2:15:06 | 3:12:06 | 4:30:00 |
| 4:45 | 10:53 | 6:46 | 33:48 | 1:07:36 | 2:22:36 | 3:22:47 | 4:45:00 |
| 5:00 | 11:27 | 7:07 | 35:34 | 1:11:09 | 2:30:06 | 3:33:27 | 5:00:00 |
| 5:30 | 12:36 | 7:50 | 39:08 | 1:18:16 | 2:45:07 | 3:54:48 | 5:30:00 |
| 6:00 | 13:44 | 8:32 | 42:41 | 1:25:23 | 3:00:08 | 4:16:08 | 6:00:00 |
| 6:30 | 14:53 | 9:15 | 46:15 | 1:32:30 | 3:15:08 | 4:37:29 | 6:30:00 |
| 7:00 | 16:02 | 9:58 | 49:48 | 1:39:37 | 3:30:09 | 4:58:50 | 7:00:00 |
Brighton Marathon Finish Time Estimator
Enter a recent 5K, 10K or Half Marathon time to estimate your Brighton Marathon finish time.
Your 5K time
Estimated Brighton Marathon finish
3:59:36
An estimate only, based on Pete Riegel's race-time prediction formula. Real marathon performance depends on endurance, training specificity, pacing and race-day conditions — not just your speed over a shorter distance.
Training for a different distance? Try the full pace calculator, race time predictor or pace chart.
Got your target time? Save it to your profile.
Tag Brighton Marathon, set your goal pace, and let Verus track your countdown, training and fundraising in one place.
Start Your Verus JourneyBrighton Marathon Race Day Checklist
Tap items to mark off your race-day readiness.
- Race number attached, and any timing chip fitted per your race pack instructions
- A bag for the free bag drop at the start in Preston Park — collected again after the race
- Weather-appropriate kit, plus something warm and disposable to discard before the start
- Your own gels/fuel if you'd rather not rely solely on HIGH5 Energy Gel Aqua and HIGH5 Zero at drinks stations
- The official event app downloaded before race day, for live tracking and last-minute updates
- A plan for getting to Preston Park that accounts for road closures — and Park & Ride shuttle times, if using it
- A meeting point agreed with family/friends near Hove Lawns for after the race — the finish area gets busy
Training Strategy for Brighton Marathon
16-20 weeks is the target window for first-time marathoners; 12-16 weeks is solid if you're already maintaining a baseline mileage. Arrive with your longest run behind you in training, not on race day itself.
This course has real climbs — preston park start climb around mile 1.5, st james's street around mile 4, climb into the ovingdean u-turn around mile 9.5 — so include some hill-repeat sessions midweek rather than relying only on flat long runs.
Reduce overall mileage across the final 2-3 weeks while preserving short race-pace bursts. Arrive at Preston Park fresh, energized, and primed — not fit, fresh.
Lock in your target pace using the interactive splits calculator below, or stay attached to one of the official pacing flags (3:00, 3:15, 3:30, 3:45, 4:00).
Test your race-day fuel and hydration plan on your long training runs, not for the first time on race day — check the Race Day Checklist below for what's actually on this course.
Marathon Nutrition & Fueling Plan
A modest increase in carbohydrate intake over the 2-3 days before the race — not one huge pasta dinner the night before — is the well-established approach to topping up glycogen stores for a marathon.
Eat a carb-focused breakfast 2-3 hours before the start, and stick to something you've already tested in training. With a 7-hour cut-off, plan a breakfast that will hold up for a long day on your feet either way.
Drinks stations on the Brighton course serve water plus HIGH5 Energy Gel Aqua and HIGH5 Zero — if you train with different fuel, carry your own rather than switching on race day.
A mix of carbohydrate and protein in the hour or so after finishing supports recovery — and with the finish on Hove Lawns right by the seafront, there's no shortage of nearby cafes and restaurants for a proper post-race meal.
Brighton Marathon Charity Places 2027
Charity places are widely available through official charity partners, with fundraising pages set up via Enthuse. There's no single universal minimum — each charity sets its own entry fee and minimum fundraising target (see the example below). Contact the charity directly to check current terms before committing.
| Charity Partner | Entry Fee | Minimum Target |
|---|---|---|
| Alzheimer's Society | £20 | £550 |
Lead with your personal story — explain why the charity matters to you. Personal connection generates 3x more support than a generic link broadcast.
Share key training milestones on Instagram (first 10-miler, peak week, race week) with your fundraising link in bio. Publicly thanking donors prompts secondary gifts!
Running Brighton Marathon for charity?
Link your JustGiving page to Verus and show up right here alongside other Brighton Marathon fundraisers — goal, progress and story, all in one place.
Add Your Fundraiser to VerusWhere to Stay for Brighton Marathon
Preston Park / Seven Dials
Closest to the start — useful if you'd rather walk to the start line on race morning than deal with road closures. Quieter, more residential.
Further from the finish and the main seafront atmosphere; fewer hotels directly in this area than the seafront.
Brighton city centre / The Lanes
Central and well connected by train, with the most hotel choice — walkable to the mid-race route past the Royal Pavilion and to the seafront finish.
Can be busy on race weekend, and road closures may complicate getting to Preston Park for the start.
Hove seafront / Hove Lawns
Right at the finish line — ideal for a short walk to your room after 26.2 miles, and for family and friends watching you finish.
Further from the start at Preston Park, so you'll need transport (train, bus, or the Park & Ride shuttle) on race morning.
Travel & Logistics
Preston Park has its own railway station, one stop from Brighton's main station on the London-Brighton line — the simplest way in by train if you're not driving. Brighton station itself is roughly a 25-30 minute walk from Preston Park, or a short bus/taxi ride.
A Park & Ride scheme has run in past years from four sites around Brighton and Hove — Mill Road, Falmer, Moulsecoomb, and Brighton Racecourse — with free shuttle buses to the start and from the finish (sites opening around 07:00, with buses running roughly 07:45-09:30 to the start and 13:30-18:30 from the finish in recent years). Availability, pricing and exact 2027 times are confirmed closer to race day on the official Park & Ride page.
Road closures across Brighton and Hove are confirmed by the organizer around five weeks before race day.
Spectator & Cheer Guide
Three official spectator viewing areas are set up along the route each year (exact locations published closer to race day) — the loudest stretch is typically around Aquarium Junction and Madeira Drive at mile 15, where the route runs through a dedicated Charity Cheer Avenue.
Because the course loops back on itself along the seafront — out to Ovingdean and back, then an out-and-back past the Pier and the i360 — spectators can often see their runner pass more than once from a single spot on Marine Parade or Madeira Drive without needing to move at all.
Friends and family can track runners in real time via the official event app, available to download in the week before race day.
Brighton Marathon Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know for race weekend.
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Race details independently compiled and fact-checked by Tommo against the official Brighton Marathon site , last verified August 2026. Always confirm official timings and policies directly prior to race day.