The beginning of autumn this year turned out to be quite busy, there were many running starts and accordingly interesting trips. Moreover, I was able to visit both Ukrainian cities, such as Izmail, Bila Tserkva, and visit abroad, in particular to sunny Croatia (run along its mountain trails on “Ucka Trail”).
The arrival of cloudy autumn made me want to return to summer and bask in the sun a little more. I immediately remembered the end of 2019, when my running trip to Málaga took place. This year I decided to repeat this experience and choose something interesting marathon in Spain. So, my choice fell on “Palma Marathon”, which takes place every year in the capital of the Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca.
Registration
Registration for the marathon takes place online in the traditional way for most such competitions - on the official website palmademallorcamarathon.com. Each participant has the opportunity to choose not only the main distance to test their own strength, but also competitions in other disciplines: a 21-kilometer and 10-kilometer race. At the time of registration, everyone must pay a registration fee of approximately 45 euros, depending on the date of registration and the chosen discipline.
Route
Marathon route is a well-paved route with small sections of cobblestones that runs along the promenade and historic streets of Palma de Mallorca. On marathon route four hydration points are provided, where every athlete can refresh himself with water or isotonic drink, and eat fruit.
Run
Marathon race in Palma started for me early Friday morning. At first, I had a rather unpleasant experience when I confused the airports and had to listen to the taxi driver mutter about it all the way. But those are little things. I quickly forgot about everything as soon as the plane landed at Palma airport.
Having found myself in this city, immediately after settling in a hostel and having a little rest from the road, I set out get to know the route, which I will soon have to conquer, walked through the streets of Palma. What immediately caught my eye was the level of preparation for the upcoming running holiday, the presence of signs everywhere with messages for local residents that the roads will be closed on Sunday. Also met many athletes runners, especially on the embankment.
The organizers of the marathon began to issue start packages to all participants two days before the start "Palma Marathon" marathon. It happened near the local St. Mary's Cathedral. Also, on Friday, participants will be offered a morning run and "SportExpo", on Saturday a "Pasta party" will be held. Visited the start town on Saturday, picking up my start pack with a number and walking around the “SportExpo” looking for something interesting. But the exhibition itself disappointed me, because I planned to get more information about the others spanish races, and as a result, apart from T-shirts and shorts, I didn't find anything interesting there. So, with that in mind, I just went in search of a free sunbed to relax a bit, enjoy the sun and panorama of the cathedral.
Run
On Sunday, at 8:00 a.m., the start of the "Palma Marathon" took place. First, the participants of the main distance of the marathon started, and then 15 minutes later - the athletes who chose to compete in the half-marathon, and the 10-kilometer runners were the last to start.
Everyone knows my negative attitude towards races, the route of which consists of several laps. This year I was "lucky" for them. But this time it was necessary to run only two laps. Thanks to the beautiful scenery around it went almost unnoticed. Running made me very happy and gave me inspiration.
The first part of the marathon felt quite comfortable for me, the sun didn't bother me so much, so I managed to cover the first half of the race in 1 hour and 55 minutes. In addition, I decided that I would stick to the pacemaker that ran for 4 hours, naive it was, but no one is forbidden to dream.
As for the marathon route itself, the first 12 kilometers of the circle pass along the embankment, and the last 9 kilometers along the streets of the city. The circle itself has several ascents, the largest is 4-6 kilometers long and slightly smaller ones are found already in the city itself, in addition, there are many cobblestones in its old part.
The second part of the marathon took place under the scorching sun. So I quickly came back to reality after my 4-hour dreams. As much as I tried to do it faster, I still crossed the finish line with a result of 4 hours and 53 minutes. Which in general is pretty good.
Impression
“Palma Marathon” left behind many positive emotions and impressions, primarily due to the excellent level of organization of the running event. I also liked the route of the marathon, although it was circular and consisted of two laps, I especially enjoyed the section that passed through the streets of the old city. It is also worth noting the great support of the marathon participants by the residents and guests of the city, it was very nice.
