Every person who crosses the Finish Line has their own reason for completing their journey.
From raising funds for causes close to their hearts to running in memory of a loved one, or from chasing down a personal best to taking part as a group for the memories.
Below, you can read some of the inspiring stories from our 2025 participants.
Kristina Goodsell, 32, from Bexhill-on-Sea in East Sussex
Charity: The PMDD Project
Kristina, who appeared on the 2024 series of Married at First Sight UK (MAFS), is taking on her first marathon alongside her friend, Ashley, at the 2025 Brighton Marathon.
Kristina was diagnosed with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a severe form of premenstrual syndrome, when she was 31. She was open about her experience with PMDD throughout her time on MAFS, during which time she was unmedicated and struggling with her symptoms. Now, she has decided to run the 2025 Brighton Marathon raising funds for The PMDD Project.
Two weeks out of four, Kristina’s PMDD causes emotional and physical distress. It was Ashley who came up with the plan to run the Brighton Marathon for The PMDD Project. Inspired by Kristina’s bravery in speaking out about the condition and having experienced the highs and lows with her, he decided they should run the marathon to support the charity.
Kristina said: “It took me 10 years to get the right help, treatment and diagnosis. Whilst not being medicated on Married at First Sight it took its toll on me and my marriage nearly a year later, having been diagnosed and being medicated, I have turned my life around. Too many people suffer in silence and I’m here to put a stop to that.”
Mark Philip Griffiths, 52, from Hayling Island
Charity: Lymphoma Cancer Trust
Mark is returning for his second Brighton Marathon, having also taken part in 2024. But this time, he’s upping the challenge as he’s planning to run from his home in Hayling Island to Brighton, all before completing the 26.2 miles.
He’ll be running 60 miles across the South Downs Way, supported by friends and family, over two days to arrive in Brighton ahead of joining the marathon Start Line on Sunday 6 April.
It’s also an important challenge for Mark, as he’s decided to use the 60-mile journey to Brighton and the marathon to raise funds for Lymphoma Cancer Trust. Mark’s close friend, Daren, has lymphoma and recently underwent three rounds of chemotherapy which were unfortunately unsuccessful in treating the cancer. Daren is now undergoing clinical trials, and Mark wants to do everything he can to support the charity that has been so vital to his friend.
Mark said: “This means a lot to me, as I have witnessed the pain both Daren and his family have gone through and are still going through. I feel a little pain on the way during my fundraising is nothing to what they have all been through.”
Siobhan Andrews, 26, from Brighton
Charity: The Kirkwood (Kirkwood Hospice)
Three months into her journey to sobriety, Siobhan decided she needed to take up a hobby. In 2024, she attended the Brighton Marathon as a spectator and was inspired to start running and become a participant.
She said: “I watched the 2024 Brighton Marathon and loved cheering runners on and the atmosphere it brought to the city. It’s a real sense of community. I started running soon after in a hat – I was hiding in case I saw someone I knew!”
Now, she runs three times a week, is a regular gym goer, and has taken on three smaller events as part of her training to complete her main goal: completing the Brighton Marathon.
Siobhan is not just running the marathon for the joy of being a participant or as a part of her recovery journey, though, she’s also raising funds for a special cause. She is dedicating her marathon to the memory of her partner’s mother, Philomena Woodward, who died from cancer in 2011 and spent time in The Kirkwood, a hospice in Huddersfield.
Siobhan said: “Philomena spent the last stage of her life being supported by the incredible staff at The Kirkwood, who not only made this as comfortable as possible for her but also supported the other half of my lovely family with dignity and respect.”
Michaela Tutt, 32, from Shoreham-by-sea
Charity: British Heart Foundation
A local herself, Michaela has always cheered on the runners at the Brighton Marathon each year, but for 2025 she’s taking the leap from spectator to participant.
The 32-year-old is dedicating her marathon to the memory of her daughter, Isabella, who passed away in 2021 from a rare congenital heart condition, aged just six and a half months.
Michaela said: “I’m hoping to raise some significant funds to aid the British Heart Foundation’s research to help people like Isabella live longer and normal lives! Isabella was a very happy and beautiful girl but, unfortunately, she spent most of her life in Southampton Hospital undergoing several heart procedures, including open heart surgery, to help fix her heart.
“We will always remember her cheeky personality and smile and I hope that by taking on the Brighton Marathon her legacy continues to live on!”
Nadiah Jamaa, 35, from Peacehaven
Charity: Medical Aid for Palestinians
Nadiah is returning to the Brighton Marathon Weekend for the fourth time, having previously completed the marathon challenge in 2021 and 2022, and the 10K in 2018. Living in Peacehaven, the Brighton Marathon Weekend is her local event, and she loves that it takes in the seafront.
This year, the challenge is extra special as she’s going to be completing the Brighton Marathon and then, just three weeks later, also tackling the 2025 TCS London Marathon. She’ll be raising money at both events for a cause close to her and her family’s hearts: Medical Aid for Palestinians.
Nadiah’s father was born in Gaza, and his family became refugees in the 1960s. Nadiah said: “I want to complete this event showing I'm proud to be a Palestinian and raise awareness of the cause.”
James Tuttiett, 36, from London
Charity: The Brain Tumour Charity
James is taking on the Brighton Marathon as one part of an epic, Olympic-sized challenge he’s looking to complete in 48 hours, to raise money for The Brain Tumour Charity.
James regularly takes on tough challenges for the charity in memory of his mum and dad, both of whom passed away from brain tumours, but this is going to be his biggest undertaking yet.
Over the course of 48 hours, James aims to cycle 530K from Trafalgar Square in London, where he lives, to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. To make the challenge even harder, he’ll be stopping off in Brighton to break from cycling for a while as he runs 26.2 miles at Brighton Marathon.
Brain tumours can affect anyone, but they are still relatively rare. Both James’s parents were diagnosed with glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive forms of brain tumour, within a year.
He said: “Glioblastoma is diagnosed in five in every 100,000 adults each year, with an average survival of just 12-18 months. To put my experience into perspective, the odds of both parents being diagnosed in the same year are just one in 40 million.”
Brain tumours are one of the biggest cancer killers of people under the age of 40 in the UK, so James is trying to raise as much as he can to help support vital research.
Louise Blackburn, 46, from Birmingham
Charities: Donor Family Network, Compassionate Friends, and the George Coller Memorial Fund
The 2025 Brighton Marathon marks the one-year anniversary of Louise’s brother, David, passing. David had a brain tumour which doctors were unable to successfully operate on. As he had chosen to be an organ donor, David’s organs went on to save the lives of three people.
To help with the grieving process, Louise took up running and decided to do something positive to mark the anniversary of David’s death and to raise money for the charities that supported her family through their loss.
Both the Donor Family Network and Compassionate Friends supported Louise’s family, while the George Coller Memorial Fund is a charity David supported throughout his life.
With a cousin living in Brighton, the whole family is travelling down to spend the weekend together, remember David, and support Louise’s marathon efforts.