Hundreds of people will be running the ALTRA Brighton Half Marathon on Sunday, March 1 – and here we meet some with unusual or inspiring stories behind their entries.
John Jones, 46, Peter Osborne, 46, Dominic Hughes, 45, Tom Ratcliffe, 46, Craig McKay, 44, Chris Worrall, 45 and Phil Weston, 44 are a group of doctors from across the country who are attempting the Guinness World Record for the fastest half marathon male dressed as a mammal!
John said: "We’ve been running the Brighton Half Marathon in cow costumes since 2018. Why cows? I’m not entirely sure, it seemed like a good idea at the time!
"We’ve all done half marathons, marathons, triathlons and long-distance bike rides over the years for a variety of charities, but have found the atmosphere at the Brighton Half to be the best. The support along the route is fantastic, hence it being our main annual event.
Look out for a group of doctors in cow costumes - attempting a world recordplaceholder image
Look out for a group of doctors in cow costumes - attempting a world record
"Our first Brighton Half was in 2010 and most of us have run it every year since. We’ve applied to the Guinness Book of World Records on a number of occasions and this year the attempt has been approved.
"We are going for the fastest male dressed as a mammal, apparently there isn’t a record for a ‘herd’ so we will all need to cross the starting and finish line together, arm in arm, so that we all go in the record book!
"The current record is 1 hour 46 minutes and 1 second, set in November 2025 by someone dressed as a rhino. Interestingly the fastest female dressed as a mammal was set by someone dressed as a cow and is a rapid 1 hour 32 minutes and 24 seconds. I’m glad we are targeting the male record . We hope to bring some fun to the run and look forward to the support!"
Simeon and Jasper Superville, running in fancy dress as Slinky Dog from Toy Story for Grassroots Suicide Preventionplaceholder image
Simeon and Jasper Superville, running in fancy dress as Slinky Dog from Toy Story for Grassroots Suicide Prevention
Simeon and Jasper Superville, 28 and 22, from London and Brighton, are running in fancy dress as Slinky Dog from Toy Story to raise money and awareness for Grassroots Suicide Prevention. The brothers will be connected by a giant spring with Jasper at the head and Simeon at the tail!
Simeon said: “I'm a big advocate for mental health, having seen how much difference it can make to have someone to talk to. So we're trying to raise more awareness - helping to get people talking, and showing solidarity with those affected. Hopefully the costume helps to start even more conversations, as well as reduce the stigma around it!"
Jasper said: “I’m running the Brighton Half Marathon again this year for Grassroots Suicide Prevention because it’s a cause that really matters to me. I ran for this charity last year and saw first-hand how important their work is in saving lives and supporting people when they need it most.
"This year, I’m proud to be running alongside my brother, each dressed up as one half of the Toy Story Slinky Dog to raise awareness, start conversations, and show that no one has to face things alone. If our run helps even one person feel supported, it will be worth every mile."
Harvey Stephens AKA ‘Bunny’, is a punk rock drummer from Worthing running for St Barnabas Houseplaceholder image
Harvey Stephens AKA ‘Bunny’, is a punk rock drummer from Worthing running for St Barnabas House
Harvey Stephens AKA ‘Bunny’, 59, is a punk rock drummer from Worthing running for St Barnabas House in memory of his old friend and father-in-law Mick Dawkins.
Harvey says: “Hi. I'm Bunny. I hate running! So why am I running for St Barnabas House? A decade ago I lost my great mate and father-in-law, Mick Dawkins. In his final days St Barnabas House gave him palliative care and the chance to die on his own terms with dignity and respect.
Eleanor Frost, 23, a Cafe Assistant from East Sussex running for the animal welfare charity, Raystedeplaceholder image
Eleanor Frost, 23, a Cafe Assistant from East Sussex running for the animal welfare charity, Raystede
"Their support was excellent. Even though ten years have passed and I still miss him, their care has made it easier to smile when I think of him.”
“Running, (which I hate) for St Barnabas will help repay some of the kindness that they showed Mick. Why the Bunny outfit? 3 reasons…
“1. I was named after a cinematic 6 foot invisible rabbit from a James Stewart film. True story! So what else could I be?
“2. It's what I wear on stage when we're smashing out our punk songs.
“3. I have great legs. Thanks for reading. Love you all...Did I mention that I hate running!”
Ryan Smith will be running the Brighton Half with a group of friends while listening to Gangnamplaceholder image
Ryan Smith will be running the Brighton Half with a group of friends while listening to Gangnam
Eleanor Frost, 23, is a Cafe Assistant from East Sussex running for the animal welfare charity, Raystede.
Eleanor says: “I am a very active person, and I wanted to try something new and challenge myself with a new experience. There’s something so exciting about being a part of an event where everyone is trying to raise money for charity and pushing themselves to do something new.
“I’ve worked in the cafe at Raystede for just under four years, my sister also worked in the café, my mum was Head of HR at the charity for 12 years and even my dog was adopted from Raystede!"
"I used to spend my summer holidays volunteering as part of the Family Learning Days the charity puts on, so Raystede has been a massive part of my life! I love all the staff there and the work that they do is awesome. Working in the cafe gives me a different perspective on how hard the staff work to provide for the animals and I hope by raising some money I can continue to support their work - while also making them coffee too!"
“Raystede relies on sponsorship and voluntary donations to continue its work rescuing, rehoming and rehabilitating the animals in its care – animals like Tasha and Lena. When they arrived at Raystede, they were terrified, in pain, and broken from neglect.
"Now, Tasha and Lena are well on their way to healing. They’re both desperate to be loved and show their affection. All money raised from supporters choosing to run for Raystede will go directly back into supporting vital animal welfare work and helping vulnerable animals like Tasha and Lena for years to come.”
Ryan Smith, 25 from Brighton, will be running the Brighton Half with a group of friends while listening to Gangnam Style the whole way round!
Ryan said: “During university in Sheffield I made a great group of friends, who, like many friend groups, are now scattered across the country. It’s hard to organise reunions with everyone due to our busy schedules.
"But by luck and some peer pressure (the good type!), I managed to persuade the whole group to come down and take part in the Brighton Half Marathon. What better way to spend the weekend than by running the Brighton Half followed by a few pints with friends!
"As well as challenging my physical endurance, I will be challenging my mental endurance by doing the half listening to everyone's favourite 2012 song of the summer - Gangnam Style – on repeat during the race. I'll be listening to it with earphones on as I don't want any fellow runners to groove too hard and focus on the race. Plus they might not be a fan of it! ”
Abe Day-Garman, 33, Brighton is running for Connors 5, the Connor Saunders Foundation, set up after Connor was tragically killed by just one punch at 19.
Abe said: “Connor was my best friend growing up and he tragically lost his life in 2012. There are eight of Connor’s friends and family running to raise money for the Foundation which was set up to support three causes close to Conner’s heart - promoting peace by raising awareness; providing schools with Connor’s Kindness Challenging including giving kids first aid training; and providing defibrillators for local areas that need them.”
The Altra Brighton Half Marathon 2026 will be started by BAFTA-nominated actor and award-winning singer/songwriter, Olly Alexander, who is running for Team Beacon.
Participants will also be joined on the start line by well-known faces including Chris Oliver (SAS Who Dares Wins) and Zoe Lyons (comedian and TV presenter). Amanda from The Traitors will also be welcoming runners to Team Beacon.
The Altra Brighton Half Marathon, Wheelchair Race in association with Yeomans Toyota and Sussex Beacon Charity Relay take place on Sunday, March 1. The Youth Races take place on Saturday, February 28. Visit the Altra Brighton Half Marathon website for more information, to sign up to race or volunteer and follow the race on Facebook, Instagram and X for all the latest news #BrightonHalfMarathon #HappiestHalf
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