Brighton Half Marathon 2027: Course, Entry & Complete Race Guide

Brighton in February is not the obvious choice for a big race weekend. The Channel throws its worst at this coastline in winter, race morning at Hove Lawns tends to be cold and sharp and the sky over the seafront is rarely doing anything warm. None of that stops 10,000 runners showing up every year. Some travel from across the UK specifically for it. Some fly in from abroad. Most of them leave wanting to come back.

This is the ALTRA Brighton Half Marathon, the UK’s Happiest Half, and the 37th edition in 2027 has earned that nickname several times over. The course is fast and broadly flat. Brighton throws itself into the race with genuine enthusiasm. And behind the entry fee and the finisher medal, The Sussex Beacon — the local HIV charity that owns the race — connects every bib to work that actually matters. Add the Royal Pavilion, the cliff-top roads, Brighton Palace Pier and a finish line framed by the famous Hove beach huts and you have one of the more visually distinctive half marathons in England.

It rewards runners who prepare for it. The early miles through the city feel easy and the atmosphere will tempt you to go out faster than you should. By the time you reach the exposed cliff-top section on Marine Drive between miles 4 and 7, the wind will find you if you haven’t paced it right and the return leg will be a long lesson in restraint. Get the pacing right, though, and this is a legitimate shot at a February personal best on closed roads with pacer support from 1:30 all the way out to 3:00.

This guide covers the 2027 edition in full: the course segment by segment, where runners typically blow up and why, registration fees and policies, race weekend logistics, weather, past results, where to stay in Brighton and how to get here from inside the UK or from overseas.

ALTRA Brighton Half Marathon 2027: Race at a Glance

What Makes the Brighton Half Marathon Worth Running?

Is the Brighton Half a good course for a PB?

For most runners with sensible pacing, yes. The men’s course record is 64:30 set by Seyfu Jamaal in 2025. The women’s record is 75:34, set by Cassie Thorp in 2024. Both were set recently, which tells you something about the quality of the field and the speed of the course. Chip timing means your net time starts when you cross the line rather than the gun, so wave start position does not cost you seconds. The course is on closed roads. There are no significant climbs. The biggest variables are the coastal wind on Marine Drive and your own discipline in miles 1-3. If you control both, you have a legitimate personal best setup on your hands.

What is race day atmosphere like at the Brighton Half?

Brighton understands how to make a race feel like an event. The crowds along Marine Parade are vocal and stay out in the cold for it. The event village on Hove Lawns has real energy before and after. The charity angle matters here too — runners raising money for causes they care about tend to run with visible purpose and that spreads through the field. The city has a running culture that this race taps into. The Yeomans Toyota entertainment point at Aquarium Roundabout, the beach hut finish stretch, the Royal Pavilion backdrop — these things pile up into a race that feels like it belongs to Brighton rather than happening to it.

Is the Brighton Half a good race for first-timers?

It is one of the better first half marathons on the UK calendar. The wave start system assigns you to a colour zone based on your estimated finish time so you start with runners of similar pace rather than in a bottleneck. Pacers run from 1:30 to 3:00 in 15-minute intervals. The course is not technically demanding. The main risk for first-timers is the same as for everyone else: the early atmosphere pulls you faster than intended and miles 8-12 punish it. If you attach yourself to the right pacer and run your own race in the first 5 kilometres, it is a very manageable debut.

What is the cliff-top section of the course like?

This is what makes the Brighton Half different from any other race in England. Between roughly miles 3 and 7, the course leaves the city streets and opens onto Marine Drive, the clifftop road heading east toward Roedean. There is nothing between you and the English Channel. On a calm morning the views are genuinely extraordinary — sea to the horizon, the cliffs below you, Brighton fading into the distance behind. On a windy February morning, that same exposure means you are running into or alongside a 25-40 km/h coastal wind with nothing to shelter behind. The section is beautiful in either case. It is also where the race gets serious.

Why does the Brighton Half support The Sussex Beacon?

The Sussex Beacon is a Brighton-based charity that provides specialist HIV care and support services. It has been involved with the Brighton Half since the very early years — the first race in 1991 was partly organized to help fund the construction of the Beacon’s care centre in Brighton. The charity now owns the race outright, and the Brighton Half is its biggest annual fundraising event. Every general entry contributes to that work. Charity places are also available through The Sussex Beacon and a range of partner charities including Alzheimer’s Society, Macmillan Cancer Support, Grassroots Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Foundation, for runners who want to fundraise directly.

When does the Brighton Half Marathon sell out?

It sells out most years and typically closes well before the February registration deadline. With 10,000 places and a race that has been running for 37 editions, demand is consistent. If you’re planning to run the 2027 edition, enter as soon as possible after confirming your training timeline. Do not wait for a “better time” to register — there may not be an entry left when you go back.

The Course: Mile by Mile

Miles 1-3: Hove Lawns to Marine Parade

The gun goes at 9:30am and the field leaves Hove Lawns heading east along Kingsway toward central Brighton. The sea is on your left and the first mile feels fast and energetic — crowds, music, a wave of runners moving together. By mile 1.5 you swing north off the seafront and past Brighton Palace Pier into the Old Steine, where the Royal Pavilion appears on your right: the full Indo-Saracenic complex, domes and minarets, standing there as if it accidentally ended up in Sussex. It is one of the better mile-markers in UK running.

The course continues north, looping through The Level — a flat park and recreation area slightly set back from the seafront — before turning south again down Grand Parade back toward the water. You pass Aquarium Roundabout (look for the Yeomans Toyota entertainment point) and turn left onto Marine Parade at around mile 3. Check how you feel here. If you’re breathing comfortably and the effort feels easy, you’ve paced miles 1-3 correctly. If you’re already working, you went out too fast.

Miles 3-7: The Cliff-Top Run to Roedean

Marine Parade heads east along the coast. The architecture on the left gets grander — the Royal and Lewes Crescent buildings, Victorian and Regency stonework facing the sea. The road climbs almost imperceptibly as it becomes Marine Drive and by miles 4-5 you’re on the cliff-top section proper, with the English Channel spread out to the south and nothing between you and the wind. This is the defining stretch of the course and the moment where the race either opens up for you or starts to turn.

The road continues east, passing Roedean School on the headland, to the turnaround point at Roedean Café at roughly mile 6.5-7. This is the honest mid-race check-in. If you feel strong and controlled here, you’ve run the first half sensibly. If you feel tired or your legs are already asking questions, you spent too much in miles 1-3 and the return leg is going to be hard.

The turn sends you back west along Marine Drive with panoramic views now showing Brighton’s seafront spread out ahead of you. Depending on the wind direction, you will either feel carried home or face the coastal headwind you avoided on the way out.

Miles 8-11: Madeira Drive and the Long Haul to Hove

Back at Aquarium Roundabout, the course turns left at the SeaLife Centre onto Madeira Drive, which runs at beach level with the sea immediately on your left. You pass Brighton Palace Pier for the second time — it is a useful landmark because at this point you know exactly where the finish line is and how far it remains. The road continues west along the seafront, past the distinctive blue painted railings, the Victorian Bandstand and the DoubleTree by Hilton Brighton Metropole.

The course follows Kingsway into Hove, with the cream regency terraces on the right and the beach and sea wall on the left. By mile 10-11 you reach Hove Lagoon and the westernmost point of the course, where a turn sends you east toward the finish. This is the moment where runners who overcook miles 1-3 pay the full bill. The road is flat. The distance is manageable. But by mile 11 you’ve already run 11 miles and the legs are tired. Settle into your effort here rather than your pace — the final 2 miles are where the finish comes to meet you.

Miles 11-13.1: The Beach Hut Finish

The final 2-mile run east along Hove Promenade is where the race gives something back. The famous Hove beach huts line the left side in rows of painted wood — candy-stripe and pastel, running along the shore — and the crowd that has been gathering since before the gun comes into focus. The noise builds across the final kilometre. The finish line on Hove Lawns appears. There are worse places to end a February run than on a seafront in a crowd that wanted you to make it.

Brighton Half Marathon 2027 Registration

Registration for the 2027 ALTRA Brighton Half Marathon is open now via the official entry platform. There is no ballot and no qualifying standard — pay and your place is confirmed. The race sells out most years before the registration deadline, so do not wait if you are planning to enter.

Registration deadline: Approximately 13 February 2027, or when capacity is reached — whichever comes first. Check the official FAQ for the current status. No entries are available on race day.

How to enter: Register directly through the official entry page. Race packs (bib, timing chip and baggage label) are posted to registered runners at least 2 weeks before the race.

Brighton Half Marathon 2027: Race Weekend Schedule

Brighton Half Marathon Weather: What to Expect in Late February

Brighton is a coastal city and late February weather is dictated by what the Channel is doing. The temperature rarely drops below freezing at sea level but 6°C with a 20 km/h wind on the exposed Marine Drive cliff-top section feels meaningfully colder than a sheltered urban course at the same temperature. Dress in layers you can tie around your waist after mile 5 if you warm up. On a calm, crisp morning this course is genuinely fast — low temperatures reduce heat stress and the flat profile does the rest. In a strong south-westerly, manage effort not pace on the cliff-top and save the faster running for the return and the final Hove Promenade stretch.

Prize Money and the Elite Field

The Brighton Half Marathon attracts a competitive domestic elite field. The men’s course record of 64:30 was set by Seyfu Jamaal in 2025, who also won the 2026 edition in 65:28 — making him the defending champion going into 2027. The women’s course record of 75:34 belongs to Cassie Thorp from 2024. These times reflect a course that, in the right conditions, is legitimately quick at the front of the field.

Brighton Half Marathon Past Results: Defending Champions

CR = Course Record. Full historical results dating back to 1995 are available on the official race history page. Results for the 2027 race will be posted on the official results page shortly after the race.

Brighton Half Marathon Spectator Guide

The course loops through the city and along the seafront in a way that makes it easy to see runners more than once from a single location or at multiple points with a short walk. Road closures apply from 7:00am — arrive in the seafront area by 6:30am if you are driving, or use public transport and aim for the seafront by 9:00am for the start.

Where to Stay for the Brighton Half Marathon

Brighton has no shortage of places to stay but race weekend fills hotels quickly. The official race partner hotel is the DoubleTree by Hilton Brighton Metropole, located directly on the course at miles 9-10 on Kingsway. Book as early as possible once your entry is confirmed — race weekend availability disappears months in advance, particularly for seafront properties. Airbnb and private lets are often the best value option for groups.

International Runners: Visa and Getting to Brighton

Brighton is one of the most accessible race cities in England. The direct rail link from London takes under an hour and London itself is easily reached by Eurostar from Paris or Brussels, or via Gatwick Airport on arrival from most long-haul destinations. The race draws international runners every year and the infrastructure makes the logistics straightforward once you’re in the UK.

UK Entry Requirements

A Short History of the Brighton Half Marathon

The Brighton Half Marathon will run for the 37th time in February 2027. The first edition took place in 1991, organized by a small group of local runners with the proceeds directed toward a specific purpose: funding the building of The Sussex Beacon, a specialist HIV care centre for Brighton. The charity has been involved with the race ever since and now owns it outright. What started as a few hundred runners on a cold February morning is now one of the largest half marathons in South East England, with a field that regularly exceeds 10,000.

The course has found its current shape over time — out through the city past the Royal Pavilion, east along the cliff-top Marine Drive to the turnaround at Roedean, then back along the seafront to the Hove Promenade finish. This route gives the race its character: a city that doubles as a seaside resort, architecture that ranges from Indo-Saracenic to Victorian regency, cliff-top roads with nothing between you and the Channel. ALTRA Running has been the title sponsor in recent years, bringing the race its current branding as the ALTRA Brighton Half Marathon. Laine8 Events manages the production. The Sussex Beacon owns the race and receives the benefit.

Thirty-seven editions have produced a winners’ list that tells the story of British road running across three decades. Paul Martelletti won four consecutive editions from 2013 to 2016. Seyfu Jamaal’s 2025 victory in 64:30 set a new men’s course record, which he backed up with a second win in 2026. Cassie Thorp’s 2024 women’s course record of 75:34 stands as the benchmark. The race has grown in field size, in production value and in reputation without losing the thing that makes it unusual: a genuinely meaningful charity at its centre that gives the entry fee a reason beyond the medal.

How the Brighton Half Marathon Compares