The annual London to Brighton Mini Run is organised by the London & Surrey Mini Owners Club. It is one of the biggest events along Madeira Drive with parked minis stretching all the way from the Sealife Centre to Blackrock.
The Mini Run is open to all and every conceivable type of Mini, and it is one of the attractions of the day to see just how many variants and customised minis there are.
In addition, the Mini Run is also an enormous market. Madeira Drive is full of market stalls selling everything and anything you could want for your mini. There is even a small course where souped-up minis can strut their stuff - one at a time.
The run started from Crystal Palace Park in London, it started at 8.30am and registration was from around 5.30, so a lot of people actually camped over at the park on the Saturday night.
The official route was full of contrasts, passing through the London suburbs of Westminster, Brixton, Croydon and Purley, past Gatwick Airport, Crawley and then into the countryside of The Weald, crossing the North and South Downs. Ditchling Beacon on the South Downs (near but not part of the A23), a steep climb followed by a gentle descent for five miles into Brighton, where the route finished on the promenade by the Kings Road arches. Although a lot of people took the M23.
