Brighton and Hove Albion boss Chris Hughton has been named as the official race starter for the Brighton Marathon next month.
The football club manager will send more than 12,000 runners on their way when he sounds the starting horn on Sunday 9 April.
Hughton, 58, said: “It’s a huge honour for me to be the race starter for the Brighton Marathon in 2017 and it’s a testament to what the team have done this season.
“The support that we’ve had through some difficult periods this last year shows how much the team mean to the area and it’s great to be able to do this in their name.”
The former Tottenham Hotspur and Republic of Ireland defender took over as manager at the end of 2014 when Brighton were mired in a battle to avoid relegation.
Last season he led the club to the play-offs and this season he has kept them in the automatic promotion places for most of the season, with nine games to go.
Brighton Marathon event director Tom Naylor said: “Chris has become one of the best-known managers in football, not least because of his fantastic work with Brighton and Hove Albion in the last few years.
“We look forward to sharing the sports spotlight with Chris on April 9 and to once again showing that Brighton plays host to some of the best sporting events in the country.”
The first Brighton Marathon, in 2010, was started by Brighton-born Olympic champion Steve Ovett.
Since then the starters have been 1,500m world champion runner Steve Cram, former Albion manage Gus Poyet, Sussex and England cricketer Matt Prior, world champion marathon runner Paula Radcliffe, European 10,000m champion Jo Pavey and, last year, Hove television and radio personality Zoe Ball.
