Michelle Ross-Cope (pictured), team bronze medallist at the European Championships, will be joined by Edinburgh marathon winner Sarah Gee, who has enjoyed the best year of her career.

Ross-Cope, 38, led home the medal-winning UK squad in the stifling heat of Barcelona last summer in only her third race over the distance.

In the Delhi Commonwealth Games just 11 weeks later she was also first UK runner home in sixth.

"I'm really looking forward to running in Brighton," she said.

"With the experience of Barcelona and Delhi under my belt, I am focused on attacking my best time."

Gee, 46, has had a fabulous year, reducing her pre-2010 best for the distance by over seven minutes with her run of 2 hours 38min 14sec in Edinburgh.

Both women join Dan Robinson as the second and third top UK athletes to sign for the Brighton Marathon which this year has expanded from 12,000 to 15,000 entries.

The event takes place on Sunday, April 10, 2011.

Organisers have pencilled in a training day in mid-January specifically aimed at Britain's top marathon runners to give them an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the course.

Race director Tim Hutchings said: "Make no mistake, Brighton is fast.

"There are some undulations but most of the route is dead flat and from mile 11 onwards it's nothing but really good, flat running.

"If we can get a good number of the top British performers to turn out here and help each other with our pacemakers setting things up, I am sure we will see a lot of personal best performances.

"Our training day in January is a first step towards this goal."


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