Run to the Sea Brighton Ultramarathon

From the stunning start line at Christ's Hospital we follow the Downs Link Path, slightly downhill, to halfway at Upper Beeding before a dramatic change of terrain. The 2nd half starts on the South Downs Way where rolling hills and incredible views see you enter the northern outskirts of Brighton & Hove. The final 5km cuts through the green spaces of Hove before the seafront finish at Hove Lawn.

Amazing scenery
Fully signed course
Medical support
Checkpoints
Personal Nutrition Drop
Chip Timing
Race memento
4 feed stations at approx 10km intervals

There are several pay & display car parks in the vicinity of the finish line; make sure to use those with a long enough maximum stay!

Race Start: Christs Hospital School, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13 0LJ
Race Finish: Hove Lawns, Brighton BN3 4GP

The point to point course starts at Christ's Hospital School near Horsham. The finish line is at Hove Lawns.

We recommend parking at the finish end of the run in Hove, and using our pre event shuttle service to the start at Christ's Hospital.

You can park at the finish, get the bus to the start (needs to be pre-booked!) - your car will be there when you finish. Please note there is NO transport after the race. Alternatively you may have supporters to drop you off as it is only 10miles from start to finish by car direct

OPTION 1 - Go to the Finish end of the race at Hove Lawns, park where you have chosen to park, , and catch one of the pre-event shuttles to the start. Your car will be waiting for you at the Finish (seat must be pre-booked by midday 19th April!)

You will need to pre-book a shuttle bus seat as part of your entry, or via the link in your confirmation email up until two weeks before race day.

Your bus seat and instructions on how/when/where to catch the bus will be confirmed a week before the race. Our bus departure point is next to Hove Lawns.

Remember– anything you take on the bus but aren't running with (drinks bottles, spare clothes) will need to fit into a small bag, labelled with the tag from your race number, to be taken back to the finish.


OPTION 2 - Go to the Start end of the race, Christs Hospital School, and make your own way from the Finish after your run.

You can park or get dropped off at Christs Hospital School, RH13 0LJ

PARKING AT THE START: There is free parking at the school – cars must park in the relevant bays, as directed by the marshals and must be removed by 6pm.

If you do wish to leave your car overnight IT MUST BE PRE-BOOKED by email: [email protected]. Please see full overnight parking details here

There is also a small car park at Christs Hospital railway station, approx. 400m from the start.

REGISTRATION & BAGGAGE
Registration will be at THE START Christs Hospital School, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13 0LJ from 7:15-8:15am

Entries on the day - we can take entries on the day providing we are not over-subscribed (please email us to find out)
​
Baggage Drop will be at THE START - This is a FREE service for you to get a few essentials transported from the start to the finish. You will need to take your things with you to the start to put into a small bag before taking to the baggage van. Your bag must be labelled with the label provided and must be small - we cannot take large bags.
​
START PROCEDURE
There will be a staggered start between 8:00am – 8:30am. You can choose which wave you want to start in during the registration process. Just go to the start area 10 mins prior to your wave start to prepare, set your gps (if using) etc.

ROUTE & TERRAIN
The 50km course starts at Christs Hospital School and immediately joins the Downs Link until 22kms. From 25km -37km you will be following the South Downs Way. After leaving the South Downs the approach to the finish is on pavements & promenade.The first half of the route is predominantly flat, in fact slightly downhill overall; the second half is on rolling downs therefore hilly/undulating, before finishing along the flat seafront promenade. The terrain should be mainly firm underfoot, but can also be wet & slippery in places if we have a lot of rain beforehand. ​
​
CHECKPOINTS/FEEDSTATIONS
There are four checkpoints/feedstations on the course. It is mandatory to visit each checkpoint even if you don't require food/water. You may also have your own personal nutrition delivered ahead of your arrival to checkpoints 3 & 4, which can be dropped in the box at the start - this is a FREE service​

COURSE SIGNAGE
Yellow/black arrows & red/white tape for the whole course. For the first 22kms you can also follow the Downs Link signs. From 25km-37kms you can also follow the many South Downs Way signs until the course diverts at 37kms. You will be sent the final GPS file for the route in the week before race day – make sure you use the final version as changes could be made. There will be a google map version of the route made available, showing checkpoints and any public toilets along the route

CUT-OFF TIMES
The cut-off time is 5.30pm at the finish. Each checkpoint will have it's own cut-off time and you will be required to retire if you fall behind this time. For individual checkpoint cut-off times please see the Race Guide on the race webpage
The cut off time for the finish is 5.30pm, therefore 9.5hrs from an 8am start/9hrs from an 8:30am start

BUS TRANSPORT
Buses – if you have booked bus transportation, you will be provided with specific details 7-10 days prior to race day. The bus journey from Hove Lawns to Christs Hospital School pre-event will take around 45-50 minutes. NOTE: if you are catching the buses there are NO toilets at the pick-up point so please be sure to go before you arrive.
​
There is no event transport provided after the event back to the start.
​
TOILETS
There will be toilets at the start & finish venues and at halfway (Checkpoint 2 ). Note: for those catching the bus - there are NO toilets at the bus pick-up point early in the morning, so please be sure to go before you arrive to catch the bus

route gps

Each runner enters individually, giving the team or club name - NB each team member must enter the club name exactly the same in order to qualify for the team prize. We cannot amend team names after the event.
We award a prize to the first team or club with 5 runners over the line. You do not have to run together. You must enter your team name either at registration, or via your entry confirmation link up until 21 days before race day. We cannot add or amend a team name to an entry after this point

This is a 2-runner relay

Each half is quite different, so play to your strengths!

Runner 1 covers the first part of the course (very flat) from the start at Christ's Hospital until the second checkpoint along the route (23.3km) in the village of Upper Beeding.

Runner 2 takes over at checkpoint two and tackles the remainder of the course (hilly/undulating South Downs) from 23.3km to the finish line on the seafront at Hove Lawn.

Logistics: relay teams need to be self sufficient in getting to/from the takeover point and to the finish. We suggest car sharing or getting lifts from supporters. Each runner will be allocated their own race number (with chip) at registration

Parking: there is no parking directly at checkpoint two in Upper Beeding, but there's a small car park nearby and street parking is available within the village. There are numerous pay & display car parks in Brighton & Hove.

Merchandise: runners may pick up any merchandise pre-ordered at registration at the start If Runner 2 is going directly to the takeover point, they can pick theirs up at the finish. ALL pre-ordered T-shirts should be picked up at the finish

Both relay team members receive an awesome medal and our event souvenir.