Brighton Marathon Weekend helps UK's first Sanctuary Runners group to take on marathon
The Brighton Marathon Weekend has created the Sanctuary Academy for members of Sanctuary Runners, which includes many people from refugee and migrant backgrounds.
To mark the 10-year anniversary of Brighton being awarded City of Sanctuary status, recognising it as a welcoming and safe city for people seeking refuge, 44 members of the UK’s first Sanctuary Runners group will take part in the 2025 Brighton Marathon Weekend.
The Academy has supported the 24 participants taking part in the Brighton Marathon, and 20 taking on the Brighton and Hove 10K, with entries into the event plus advice, tips and guidance on what they can expect.
The Academy members have also been kitted out by Brooks, the Brighton Marathon Weekend’s Official Apparel and Shoe Partner, and are receiving free training plans from Coopah, the Official Training App of the Brighton Marathon Weekend.
One of the members of the Academy taking on the marathon is Leyla Fey, who said: “Sanctuary Runners genuinely supports its members, creating unforgettable moments of mutual encouragement and the joy of physical exercise. I feel a mix of excitement, enthusiasm and dedicated diligence as I prepare for my first marathon. I feel it’s the right moment to take on this challenge – a chance to push my limits, embrace the journey and prove to myself what I’m capable of.
“Being a part of the Sanctuary Academy programme has been both uplifting and inspiring, motivating me to move forward and achieve new goals. The programme fosters a strong sense of community, where support, learning and personal growth go hand in hand.”
Sanctuary Runners is a solidarity-through-sport movement that was founded in Ireland in 2018 to bring communities together through running, with a focus on supporting asylum seekers and refugees.
In 2024, a Sanctuary Runners arm was launched in Brighton through the Brighton Table Tennis Club – the first of its kind in the UK. Later this year a national Sanctuary Runners GB organisation will be launched in England and Wales, with more groups to be added nationwide.
Graham Clifford, Founder and Head of International Development at Sanctuary Runners, said: “We've seen the incredible power of running in bringing people of different backgrounds together as equals in solidarity, friendship and respect. The Sanctuary Runners in Ireland has had almost 30,000 people, a quarter of them asylum seekers, come together to run, jog or walk over the years and it's been an incredible way of uniting communities.
“Through being on one running team, people learn that we are all deserving of respect, kindness and a helping hand no matter our nationality, legal status, culture, religion, age, gender or sexual orientation. That's why we're so excited to bring our model to Britain and there's no better place to start it than in Brighton.”
Hamid Vaghefian, Director of Communities and DEI at London Marathon Events, said: “Brighton is such a wonderful, diverse and vibrant place. We really want to capture that spirit in our event, and are committed to making the Brighton Marathon Weekend reflect the city and include and welcome everyone.
“More people are turning to running as a way to build community, but we’re aware that there can be real financial and access barriers to entering events for marginalised groups, including refugees and migrants. That’s why we’re excited to be able to offer the members of the Sanctuary Academy this support to take on the Brighton Marathon and Brighton and Hove 10K with us.”