Photo: ©London Marathon Events
15,000 runners descended on the Brighton seafront this weekend for the annual marathon and 10K races, with more than 12,500 people taking part in Sunday’s marathon in the sunshine.
But the warmer-than-expected climes were no match for lecturer and bride-to-be Emily Marchant from Swansea, who managed to finish in third place despite being in the middle of her hen-do.
Emily crossed the finish line in 2:58:17, just a few minutes after the women’s winner Helen Reid (2:53:00) and second-place finisher Flaminia Gold (2:54:45). She was sporting a yellow tutu and clutching an inflatable doll as she flew into third place.
She told the Brighton Marathon Weekend team that she had “had a few drinks” and been out the night before.
“I was going to be sensible,” she said, “but I got excited and had fun and got in late, and here we are!”
She confessed that, despite wanting to “do something memorable and iconic” on her hen weekend, she “wasn’t expecting a podium finish”.
She spent Saturday putting on a sports day with her friends before having drinks on the balcony and then going on a night out, getting in at around 3am on the morning of marathon day. She said she felt “questionable” when she woke up, but still made it to…
