“Seventeen hours. One island. One goal: finish strong.”
It was my first race beyond the 100K mark — about 30 km longer than my previous ultra. On top of that, as I’d soon find out, I’d spend more than seven hours running in the dark.
A whole series of new experiences. Exciting, yes — but also a bit nerve-racking. There was quite a lot at stake.
The alarm goes off at 3:30 a.m. We’ve got a 6:00 a.m. flight to Mallorca. Two hours later, we land in Palma de Mallorca, pick up the rental car and drive straight to Port de Sóller to collect my bib. A quick stop at the running expo, then some last-minute shopping for the next 24 hours of adventure.
Cyril — whom I met during a loop around Mont Blanc in 2024 — had signed up for the race last minute and invited us for dinner. He was on holiday with his family and decided to top off the week with a “casual” 100K run.
After dinner, we head to our B&B to lay out all my race gear, prep the drop bag, and go over the plan one last time.
Early to bed. Tomorrow’s going to be a long one.