20 October 2010 Organisers of one of the country’s largest off-road marathons are calling for hundreds of spectators to come along and cheer on the 1,750 entrants as they set off on a challenging 26-mile course over the South Downs this weekend.
This Saturday marks the 30th year of the Beachy Head Marathon, a popular course taking in parts of the new South Downs National Park that was voted amongst the top 10 marathon courses by readers of Runners World.
Runners, joggers and walkers are coming from across the globe to take part in the cross-country course with entrants travelling from as far as Canada, America and Romania to take part.
Eastbourne Borough Council Cabinet Member for Tourism, Cllr Neil Stanley said “This Saturday is a very special day for the Beachy Head Marathon marking the 30th year of this fantastic sporting event. The 1,750 places were filled very quickly again this year with entrants from all over the world desperate to take on the popular challenge! The event makes a great day out for visitors and spectators with plenty of viewing spots on the route and I really would like to encourage everyone to go along and give the entrants plenty of encouragement!”
This year marathon athletes will represent countries including Germany, Romania, Denmark, Canada, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, France, America and Great Britain and a huge team of volunteer stewards and marshals will be on hand to guide the entrants around the course and provide much needed refreshments.
Covering a 26-mile route that takes in the highs and lows of the South Downs, entrants must take on 300 steps and go through 14 gates to complete the marathon.
The Worshipful the Mayor of Eastbourne, Cllr Carolyn Heaps will start the 26-mile course at 9am sharp with the event starting and finishing at St. Bede’s School at the foot of the South Downs. With a brand new race clock being installed this year, it is expected that the first runner in will be around 11.45am with a steady stream through until the last one home at about 6.30pm, and visitors are encouraged to come along and watch and cheer the finishers in.
For more information on this year’s Beachy Head Marathon, which is organised by Eastbourne Borough Council alongside Eastbourne Hospitality Association (EHA), go to the Marathon website.
