Palma 10K & Half-Marathon, 19th October 2025

Inspired by Heather Steel running in last year’s event, a group of Claremont Road Runners and friends decided to take a break from the British autumn and use the Palma Marathon as an excuse for a short holiday in the sun. Not that any of us ran the actual marathon – the event also has 10K and half-marathon options, and we opted for those.

The early start meant that we made our way down to the start (in a stunning setting between the cathedral and the sea) in the dark, with the trickle of runners from near our hotel becoming a tide as we walked along the seafront, past the city walls and the old windmills. First off, at 8am just as the sun was rising over the Mediterranean, was Gill Milne, our sole representative in the 10K. After a short section along the seafront, the 10K route was a twisting, turning affair through the town centre, and probably not one for a PB. Gill was happy with her time, which saw her place in the top 10 in her age group (9th)!

Tara and I had left Gill to make her way to the start, only to discover that we had totally underestimated the time it would take once we were on site. The bag drop was the other side of the event village and we finally arrived at it to see a massive queue. Already in the queue, just ahead of us, was Sarah Taylor and we were all starting to get a bit stressed! Bags eventually checked in, it was time to join the next big queue – for the toilets. Tara and I had just reached the front of the queue when we heard the “3,2,1” countdown to the start. Luckily the large field meant that we could still join the throng well before our section reached the start line. Panic over.

Having not been able to run for nearly 3 weeks due to my dodgy, arthritic knee, I didn’t think that I would manage to run 21.1K. I had tried to swap to the 10K only to be told it was not possible as the race was sold out, so my aim was to start steadily, take in the atmosphere and run at least 10K to prove to myself that I could have done the shorter race. So I set off with Tara, herself wanted to start steadily due to the lack of warm-up. The half-marathon course consists of a there and back along the sea front in each direction, with an added dog-leg near to give great views of the coast and cathedral, before taking the same route through the streets of the old town as the 10K.

Tara had pulled a bit ahead of me before Rose Hawkswood appeared at my side, giving us the opportunity for a brief chat. The out and back nature meant that I could also give shout outs to Heather and Sarah as they were running in the opposite direction. As we were approaching the cathedral, I spotted Tara not far ahead and gradually reeled her in. We were never far apart for the rest of the route. The 10K marker came and I was feeling alright, the knee hadn’t complained much, so I slowed to nearly walking pace and texted Gill with “10K done. Feeling OK. Next target 15K”. Somewhere around 12K, I felt the first real twinges, but nothing that would stop me. There was a short downhill that forced me to walk as running would be painful, but 15K came, and I thought “I’m finishing this!”. So I got back on Tara’s heels and determined that I would stay with her until the end. Soon we were turning left back onto the sea front with just a few hundred metres to the finish line, and I pitied the poor marathon runners who were turning right for a 2nd lap, now in the full glare of the sun. I was so pleased to have done the race )I would pay for it later!), and to dip under 2 hours was a real bonus.

The fastest of our group was former member Meghan Murdoch, who many of you will know, but Heather led home the official Claremont contingent. Like Gill, Heather was also 9th in her age category. Your first half-marathon is always special and this was Ailsa Ralph’s – a great way to start, but what does she do for an encore?

Our group assembled near the finish line and headed off to the nearby beach for a dip in the sea, before rehydrating and refuelling with sangria, beer and croquetas at the beach bar. Strangely, lovely as South Shields beach is, I have never felt tempted to have a post-race swim in the sea after the Great North Run! We arranged to meet in the old town for an early meal (especially by Spanish standards), before returning to our accommodation happy, but very tired!

Rose had found a great tapas restaurant that could find a table for 10, and then Ailsa took us to an ice cream bar for a most enjoyable way to end the day.

Overall, it was a wonderful scenic route with the advantage of the narrow shaded streets coming as the temperature rose. There were a number of bands and distractions along the route, and plenty of support from the locals and bemused tourists alike. The location made for great post-race camaraderie and recovery, and I highly recommend it for a Sunday Runday with a difference!

10K
Position	Runner	Time
771	Gill Milne	1:01:41

Half
Position	Runner	Time
369	Heather Steel	1:39:57
1663	Tara Hipwood	1:59:21
1664	Tom Tinsley	1:59:22
2371	Rose Hawkswood	2:08:39
3271	Ailsa Ralph	2:26:13
3758	Sarah Taylor	2:53:19