The Lewes Marathon

[Sweder]

Obviously I don't know the area, but might it be possible to tailor the start and finish with the specific aim of keeping it off road? Even if that involves another round of plotting now, it might pay dividends in the future to be able to avoid road closures.

The 26.2 is pretty much there, aside from the very last few hundred metres. It would be easy to add half a mile along the way and finish just before the Golf Club (on top of the Cliffe) but there are logistical problems (mostly a very narrow road up to that point). Repatriation would be a nightmare, and runners would have to walk 300 metres down a very steep hill on shattered legs.

The in-town finish (close to a number of car parks) offers a chance for family and friends to welcome the runners home. It also provides a wonderful setting for the finale, one that out-of-towners would appreciate. That section of street is pedestrianised (with limited access to vehicles). It's the half that poses more problems.

I mapped a half route that finishes at The Swan, at the end of Juggs Lane, and would be entirely off-road. This would mean two separate finish lines around a mile apart. Not the end of the world, as there would be time to finish the half and amble across (relatively flat terrain) to the brewery for a swift half or two in time to welcome the leaders home.