Pictures and report: Smith, Thorp and Zghoundi claim Brighton Half Marathon honours

The event, in its 34th year, kicked off at 9am with the Youth Race on Hove Lawns, a dedicated one-mile event for junior runners aged between 7-17.

The wheelchair race followed, starting on Madeira Drive at 9:27am, followed by the main race at 9:30am, started by rugby legend Gareth Thomas.

Gareth Thomas is one of the most iconic and respected figures in world rugby. He was the first Welsh player to reach 100 caps and captained both Wales and the British & Irish Lions.

The route took runners past the stunning seafront clifftops of east Brighton, the Royal Pavilion, The Hilton Brighton Metropole Hotel, the i360, the colourful beach huts of Hove seafront and the iconic Brighton Palace Pier.

The field featured thousands of runners new to the half marathon distance, experienced half marathoners and elite runners, with thousands of spectators lining the route to cheer on the runners.

In the wheelchair race, Illias Zghoundi took first place in the men's race with a time of 1hr 5min 3sec, with the women's race being won by Claudia Burrough who set a new course record finishing in 1.05.33.

In the men’s race, Marshall Smith took first place with a time of 1.07.17, second place went to Matthew Merrick who came home in 1.07.28 seconds; third place went to Cal Mills who finished in 1.07.29.

The women’s race was won by Cassie Thorp, who set a new course record, finishing in 1.15.34, followed by Molly Smith in 1.15.49. Third place went to Henrietta Tarasewicz in 1.20.42.

Alongside the elite field, thousands of charity runners took to the streets of the city, raising money for local charities such as the The Sussex Beacon and Rockinghorse, as well as national charities including Alzheimer’s Society and Macmillan Cancer Support.

Charity runners included Chloe Neilson-Hopkins from Bognor Regis, who is running 40 races in her 40th year to raise money for the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, and Naomi Garrick, who ran the race dressed as a dalmatian to raise money for International Animal Rescue.

The Brighton Half Marathon is the main fundraising event for The Sussex Beacon, a Brighton-based charity which provides a range of services for men, women and families living with or affected by HIV across Sussex. The event typically raises over £1 million for a wide range of charities large and small.

Matt Denby, Trustee at The Sussex Beacon said: "What a wonderful day, such an incredible atmosphere! Thank you to all the runners, our sponsors, the charities, the supporters, and the fantastic volunteers who make the event possible! See you all next year!”

Martin Harrigan, Race Director, Rubix VT Brighton Half Marathon, said: “Such a fantastic day, more finishers that ever before and amazing support all around the course. It is incredible to have had two course records smashed in the women’s wheelchair race and women’s race. Finally, we would like to say a massive thank you to all our volunteers who gave up their Sunday morning to support us, we really couldn’t do it without you!”

Nick Poyner, Managing Director at Rubix VT, said: “Congratulations to all the runners who took part in the Brighton Half Marathon and raised money for their favourite charities. We are so proud to be the headline sponsor for this fantastic event which supports so many good causes and is a real highlight for the local community.

“Rubix VT helps many charities in Sussex including The Starr Trust which supports children and young people to achieve their goals and we cannot wait to share the money we have raised from the Brighton Half Marathon with this amazing group.

“Giving back and making people’s lives better is so important to the team at Rubix VT and we’re looking forward to sponsoring the Brighton Half Marathon again.”

Rubix VT is the headline sponsor of the Brighton Half Marathon and in addition to sponsoring the race the team at Rubix VT placed three Golden Tickets in the race goody bags which means that three lucky runners won either a PS5, £250.00 cash or dinner and a night’s stay at Hotel du Vin.