Sheffield RC Take on Palma!
Mallorca put on the sunshine and the heat for this year’s Palma Marathon weekend and a few of us from Sheffield RC and friends braved the early start, the Spanish “24-hour” Spar (spoiler: it’s not), and the questionable 6 a.m. scooter skills of two locals to get to the start line on time.
Four of us were flying the SRC flag, joined by friends old and new — including three from Redcar Running Club and one from Boro Runners — bringing our total group to eleven. A proper northern takeover of the Balearics.
We arrived on Friday ready to run, relax and eat our way through Palma. First stop: tapas in the city, naturally, before heading out to Cala Major, our base for the weekend. The hotel was right on the beach and came with a pool that was technically swimmable, though only if you didn’t mind a temperature better suited to cryotherapy than relaxation. Still, it was warmer than the pool in our previous SRC trip to Madeira that would have woken the dead.
Saturday was all about soaking up the sunshine and sorting out the race prep. After breakfast, we strolled into Palma to collect race numbers from the expo and check out the pasta party. The afternoon was spent in the sun: beach, sea, cocktails, repeat. Dinner was pizza, obviously, with a carefully planned supply of bananas and croissants for the morning’s early start.
Race Day: Sunday in the Sun
The alarms went off at a brutal 5:30 a.m. or thereabouts and, slightly dazed, we made our way to catch the free 6:20 a.m. race bus — full marks to the organisers for free race day transport. Bag drop? Incredibly efficient. Organisation? Spot on.
The temperature started off relatively cool, though warmer than we were used to, but was nudging 25°C by mid-morning. It was the kind of warmth Sheffield runners dream of but aren’t trained for.
The route was a pretty one. We started out along the coast beside the port, looping out and back with sea views and palm trees before heading back the other way. After halfway came the hillier, more scenic section. We ran along the city walls, around the cathedral and through Palma’s cool, cobbled old town, weaving between narrow alleyways and pedestrian streets largely in the shade. As we came back towards the coast, the half-marathoners and marathoners split, with the marathoners running the same route for a second time.
Our little team did us proud. Three of us tackled the half marathon, with Richard taking on the full marathon:
· Richard Ward — 11-minute marathon PB 3:30:48
· Daniel Ryan — half marathon PB 1:35:43
· Emma Burton — half marathon 1:52:44
· Louise Woffindin — half marathon 2:03:00
For me personally, the race took place just under 15 weeks after major surgery, so I was just happy to get to the start line – not chasing a PB, which (I think) made it more enjoyable.
Post-race, we stopped off for lunch and an iced coffee in the centre, then made the most of the free bus back to Cala Major. We celebrated in the sun with cocktails and took a brisk dip in the aforementioned icy pool — great for recovery. Dinner that evening was Mexican, followed by a truly surreal finale: an Irish bar that, for reasons known only to the Limerick-born bartender, played nothing but gangsta rap. We stayed anyway, naturally, requesting Meatloaf’s Paradise by the Dashboard Light before we left. He obliged.
Over the course of the weekend, the group did some serious work on Mallorca’s culinary scene — tapas, plenty of ice cream, iced coffees and local delicacies like ensaimadas. Hydration came courtesy of cocktails — the Mallorca Spritz (10/10, highly recommend) and the odd sangria for “recovery.”
Monday morning was a final farewell to the sun: beach stroll, photo at the Palma sign (obligatory), tapas in a pretty square and one last ice cream before heading for the airport.
“Three Bags Barry” (Redcar Running Club) earned his nickname and lived up to it spectacularly on the journey home, accidentally trapping one of his many bags in the airport X-ray machine, causing momentary chaos and much amusement.
Cala Major proved the perfect base for a weekend of running, relaxing and eating our way through Mallorca — a hot, sunny, memorable few days full of palm trees, PBs and stories we’ll be telling on club runs for a while yet. Sheffield RC (with a little northern backup from Redcar and Middlesbrough) certainly made its mark on Mallorca.
Next stop: winter training and deciding which sun-soaked start line to invade next! Who’s up for the next one?
Sheffield RC Take on Palma