For the second year in succession, the Boxing Day races, organised by the Brighton & Hove Club, have been cancelled.
The club have issued a statement saying, “Due to the increasing numbers of Covid cases, particularly in the Brighton area, Brighton and Hove AC has sadly taken the decision to cancel the Boxing Day races at Preston Park”
“We aim to be back next year to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the event”.
The races were originally, only for Race Walkers, and were launched and supported by the Brighton Labour Club and started from their Headquarters in London Road and Road Runs were added in the 1950s.
Only World War II, apart from the Pandemic had prevented the races taking place.
It has even survived the worst of the weather and dedication by the local officials even bettered the thick snow in 1963. Then the Races were switched to the carriageways at the Level and the walkers had a separate running race, won by Alan Buchanan, as race walking in snow is not possible.
John Luxford from Horsham won the Run and a few weeks later, in thick snow, he went on to win his only Sussex senior cross-county title.