Tom hits home turf for the 2024 Brighton Half Marathon and takes out the Brooks Hyperion Elite 4 PB to see if it delivers the goods for 13.1 miles.
In 2023, Tom got his half marathon PB at the race with a 1.22.20 wearing the Saucony Endorphin Elite. Two years later – and with significantly less training – he’s back for another go at one of his favourite races.
Big thanks to The Sussex Beacon for inviting us down to take part in the race. If you want to find out more about the work the charity does for those living with HIV, click here:
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JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
00:00 – Intro
01:19 – The Brighton Half Marathon 2025
08:00 – The Brooks Hyperion Elite 4 PB
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Hey Tom here from the Run testers I am Once again back in Brighton to do the Brighton half marathon I'm just s around The start line now it's looking pretty Busy it's perfect weather for it you Never know with bright and half marathon Whether it's going to be a storm or it's Going to be a great day looking like It's going to be a perfect day for Half Marathon today I'm going to be using the Brooks Hyperion Elite for PBS uh first Time over well first time racing over 5K Distance in these officially um and I'm Quite looking forward to it feeling Pretty good so haven't been training for This um so I'm not expecting major fast Time I'm not going to be ATV in this but I'm hoping to claw something um Relatively positive right so I will see You guys after the race Right so I'm back now from the Brighton Half marathon 20125 and it was a perfect day for it You never quite know with races on the South coast um especially around this Time of year what it's going to be like So you can have a really good day where It's not windy perfect conditions you Can have storms where it's almost Impossible to run in and I did do one I Think it was three or four years ago Where the wind was so bad on the way Back that people were just struggling to Maintain a running pace on on on the
Return back to the finish line but uh This year's race absolutely perfect the Weather was spot on it couldn't have Been better uh if you were there and did It you will know very well that we got a Very lucky year for the half marathon Really interesting year for the race Because the course has changed for the First time in a very long time uh Previously the uh start line of the race And the Finish Line were at the madira Drive which is down near the marina and I've said in previous videos that I I've Never been a fan of that place as a a Start and finish line for the race Because in the morning it is chaos Because you've got one road and most of That road uh what was the the race Course so um there was very little space To actually move back and forth down to Find toilets and bag DRS and stuff like That it was it was really difficult race To to start off and finish at um now it Starts at hob Lawns which is where most Races now start um and finish I think um In Brighton because it's just way more Logical you just got a lot more space There um there's the The Lawns are just Open to putting loads of tents and stuff On there it's easier to access so uh Definitely a very good move and the Start line of the course was was perfect It was it's a really good place to to Have it uh it was very well organized
The bag drops are really nice and easy To get to didn't have any issues at all Didn't feel like chaos like it had had Done in in previous years pretty much Spot on the race itself so the course Previously started at madira drive and The first thing you did was you ran up The hill towards Peace Haven uh it's not A massive Hill uh but you really notice It on the new course so previously you You'd come out from the start line and You'd run up this hill for about I think It's about 2 and 1/2k 3K um maybe a Little bit more um it's gr it's a Gradual Hill so um when you're just Starting the half marathon you don't Really notice it that much and you can Normally you're normally excited you you You know you're getting into the the Race so I've never found out an issue in The previous races and it worked quite Well in the previous events because then You have a really nice downhill and then It's all basically flat for the rest of The race so it's quite nice to just get That out of the way in the new course Cuz you're starting at the H Lawns you Do it the opposite way so you run um Across the down the road um following The the coast and you end up going a Little bit into the levels um and uh Eventually about halfway you get to this Hill and I'm not very fit at the moment And I really noticed this hill halfway
Uh and I really struggle that's Basically my speed drops off a cliff Around that point it was slowing down a Bit before then but by that point I Really noticed that Hill uh and after That I just sort of phoned it in I Wasn't really in a good in in a good Position to um maintain the pace cuz I'm Not in top physical uh condition at the Moment um aside from that the you come Back into Brighton the last bit is all The way back down towards Hobel bit Further down then you turn around and You come back down the coastal path Which is um very nice route on on on the Day because the weather was perfect um And there were nice crowds and Everything and the finish line is quite Nice being there as well the Organization of the course is very good There's plenty of water um at various Points I think it was about every 3 to 5K across the course so worked out very Well from that um the crowds are really Good lots of crowds because it was a Nice day um and generally in bright and If it's a nice day you get a lot of People there the uh rest of the route Was really good the marshing was Fantastic no issues at all it was a Really really good race and I think the New course is better than the previous Ones um just because of the way that It's set out and the start line and the
Finish Line the only tricky bit is that Hill which I did I think normally I Wouldn't find such a big issue with that Because I'm not hit at the moment I Really noticed that hill so my race Wasn't great um pre last year I was Hitting about 1 hour 25 for half Marathon times and my PB is actually at Brighton half marathon uh two years ago Where I got one two2 I think um but this Year I I'm nowhere near that that level Of Fitness um and I think I might be Slightly ill this weekend as well Because I wasn't feeling that great Before the Race um but I ended up with a 133 I started off the race the first 5k I basically ran my 5K Pace or 10K pace So I did the first best bit in 19 Minutes 20 or something like that after That I really started to feel like I Wasn't going to maintain that pace which Is generally what my stupid race Strategy is most of the time I try and Maintain a fairly fast pace for as long As I can sometimes it works sometimes I Can maintain it for a while when I did Manchester half marathon last year I was Running at 4 minute kilometer pace for The whole way um and that was a bit Experimental CU I didn't know how fit I Was at the time and ended up with a 125 In um in Manchester Half Marathon this One I just I knew by about 7K that I Just didn't have anything in the tank
For it um so my my time gradually goes Down over the course of the half Marathon and ended up with a 133 which Isn't a great time for me but expected At the moment based on the training that I've done uh and and the fact that I've Not really been that focused on Races I've got Manchester marathon coming up Next month but I'm not really aiming for A fast time in that um I'm just going Friends so great event uh really like The new course really well organized Massive thank you for for Sussex beer And the charity uh for inviting me down And to take part in in the race um and Well done to uh Joe Wilkinson who um he Um presented the the start of the race He was the starter for it and I had a Little chat with him at the start uh so Well done Joe for finishing it and Well Done everyone else who did the race it Was it was a really good day and I think A lot of people really enjoyed it and um Uh thanks to all the people that ran Past me uh various points and said hello Um as I slowed down in the latter stages Of the race oh and they they've got a Really nice medal it's the best medal I've I've seen from the Brighton half Marathon um really nice design on this One uh it also sponsored by Altra this Year which I think is the first year That um Brighton half marathon has been Sponsored by a a sports brand so they
Had a big tent there um uh so yeah I Didn't go I didn't have time to go in um But yeah sponsored by Ultra this year Right let's uh have a look at the kit That I used So when we did the review for the Brooks Hyan Elite for Pb um I did say in that Review that I probably I really like This shoe I think it's a fantastic uh Race shoe I've used it for 5K and 10K Distances now and I think it's really Really good at those distances I did say On that video that I don't think I'd Like it for longer distances so half Marathon and marathons um but I did want To see if I was I was correct on that During this during the Brighton half Marathon um and I think I was right I Think for me I think I think for a lot Of people I think Nick I think for Kieran I think this shoe I think ASX met Speed Sky works really well I still like A little bit more cushioning in my shoes And I really noticed it with with the Brook hyperian Elite um 4 PB um for the First 10K absolutely loved it felt fast I ran 1920 uh for the first 5k felt great Really really really um nippy shoe and At the moment that's a really fast time For me I'm I'm struggling to get 19 Minut under under 90 minutes for for a Part run so I was running pretty fast For that and it felt really good for
That it's a really fast nippy shoot it Was really light on the feet um but I Definitely felt like in the latter Stages of that race so when I was coming Up to the the the teenss when I was Going up to like 15K I could really feel That I just wanted more cushioning in The shoe I just wanted a bit more to it I think something like the alpha fly one Um where the shoes that I really like to Use for longer distances whereas this it Just felt like I just wasn't getting Enough bouns from it um that I normally Like that's a personal preference I Think there's a lot of people who would Very much enjoy using this shoe for a Half marathon or a marathon but after Using this and after using the ax sweet Sky for um Val Valencia last year I Definitely need a bit more cushioning in Um my longdistance running shoes um so I For me and if you're like me and you Just like shoes that have a lot of Bounce and cushioning and energy return In them um you you might have a similar Experience where this shoe for me I'm Definitely going to stick to using it For 5Ks and 10ks half marathon I'm going To use uh another shoe that's got a Little bit more to it um but I still Think it's a fantastic shoe it wasn't a Bad shoe for me running in I just didn't Enjoy it as much as I would in in in Some of the other shoes that that I test
Something like the Hawker C X1 uh which I I really enjoy that shoe um so yeah Really great shoe just not quite right For me for that distance um it's not the Reason I didn't get a good time I Definitely that was purely down to my Fitness and my training um but for Comfort um I definitely felt like I Wanted a bit more cushioning on on that Run um but the first 5k first 10K felt Really good felt really fast definitely Enjoyed it for that for those distances Um and I'm probably going to stick to Using this shoe for 5Ks and 10ks from Now on it's a great part run shoe for me I'm really enjoying at the moment for as I try and get my times down in part run Um but yeah it's a fantastic shoe not Quite for me um for those longer Distances so I stand by what I said in The review of the shoe and I think for Me this is just a little bit better for Those shorter distances as opposed to Longer distances um but I still think This is fantastic um top tier carbon Plate shoe I think a lot of people are Going to get on with this and I think It's a competitor now for some of the Best shoes out there I think a lot of People might even find this as their as Their favorite shoe um but for me uh Shorter distances so yeah that's all I Tested out at the Brighton half marathon Um I didn't have any other kits to try
Out so it was really just these but Great day out big thank you to the susex Beacon for inviting me down to take part In the race I'll put a link in the Caption below so you can find out about The charity and the work that they do With people living with HIV um and also Big thanks to the um bright and half Marathon as well it was a really good Event and all of the marshals and Everything did a great job uh so yeah Well worth looking at if you're looking For a good half marathon next year it's Also very well placed before Marathon so The reason why I like doing it is Because normally it's about a month Before uh or about a month month and a Half before the marathons that come up At the start of the year so it's a Really good test to see how fit you are And I'm not very fit at the moment um But that's it from me thanks a lot for Watching don't forget to like subscribe And click that little bell and you get To catch below you can find into our Podcast which comes out a couple of Times each month thanks a lot for Watching catch you next time
