My first trail marathon!

Finally – I bagged a trail marathon.

This traveler and runner is so so happy that he managed to successfully run a trail marathon, eight years after the last trail race he ran.

It happened in Ibiza (where else?) and what follows is a write up describing the thought and planning process leading up to it, the training, and, of course, the actual race. 

Why a trail marathon? Why Ibiza?

Well in fact the project was about getting back to trail racing, and training toward a challenging objective. That is why my friend M. and I signed up to Cross Tres Refugios, one of the most challenging and technical trail races in our mountain range, adding up to 30km and almost 2000m vert. The race was early November, and we started training systematically mid September. 

About a month before the actual race, M. and I ran the “short” version of the race, that’s 23km and almost 1400m vert. This is the race we’d be forced to do if we didn’t make it on time to the first cut-off, that’s 1.45 after 10km. Turns out, we were 45 minutes late to the cut off, and the math led to a logical conclusion: not even by climbing like madmen and risking our lives on the treacherous descent from Maliciosa would we be allowed to run the full race. I have to admit – this realization somewhat affected my morale, and motivation to give it a try. As the day of the race got closer, M. and I exchanged messages suggesting that the weather would need to be perfect for us to have a go at it. It wasn’t, so we decided to have a fun, challenging training session in the forests of Valsain, followed by a celebratory lunch with another friend. 

It must be said – I count those long Sunday morning runs with M., enjoying the Fall in our mountains, as some of my best moments of 2023.

Given my increasingly solid shape, I looked for alternatives. First I thought of Falco Trail, in Murcia. That would be quite a homage to my dad. Yet, 48km and over 3000m vert sounded a bit above my league. Luckily, I discovered Ibiza’s 3 day trail series, including a marathon race from lovely San José, hitting one of my favourite sections of the Ibiza coastline trail, and totalling 41 km and about 1800m vert. 

I signed up and purchased inexpensive airplane tickets for me and K. Ibiza has become my second home, after all. 

The training

Here’s (roughly) what I did to physically prep for the race. 

• I devoted at least a day a week to strength training, done at home.
• I added plenty of uphill to my lap training, finding the closest slopes to my house. At some point, it felt like running uphill was second nature to me! 
• In October, I managed to include plenty of mountain runs, taking advantage of the long hours of sunlight before the time changed. As well as my slower runs with M. or on my own in occasional weekday afternoons, , I threw in plenty of sessions around my beloved Pico de San Pedro. San Pedro helped me to work on high intensity not only climbing, but downhill running. 
• As to our slower runs, I remember being frustrated at not being able to run faster that 5km/h on average. Too slow to make the cut-off!
• In November, once my target was somewhat different (longer, less technical), and I had less time to hit the hills, I did most o fmy quality training at home, in Valdeloshielos. 
• Serious training ended with a wonderful race test, Carrera de la Marmota, in neighboring Colmenar Viejo, where I was impressed by my performance: 20 km, 278m vert, running at 5:17 min/km. 

In hindsight – what could I have done to train better?

To put it simply, longer runs on dirtroads and easy trails, which is what most of the Ibiza race ended up being. For next time, I’ll also plan my strength training with greater care, adding bigger weights and fewer reps. 

The race itself

Here go my stats: 

Position: 90 out of 130. Distance: 40,61. Time: 6:43:40. Speed: 9:37 min/km or 6,5 km/h.

The experience:

Fun. Challenging. Painful, at times. My main mistake, if I made one, was to run a bit too fast in the first part of the race – that is, until the aid station in Es Cubells, where K. was waiting for me. The reason? Well, I enjoyed the company of other runners, and conversation made life easier. Only that, at some points, the speed was slightly above my comfort zone. 

I struggled from Es Cubells (km 17, roughly), to Cala d’Hort (km 30). The road run toward Cala Llentrisca does have its ups and downs, and it was hot. I started getting cramps shortly after completing the first steep climb after Llentrisca, around km 23. That’s when I feared not finishing the race most. Plus, by this time I was running/walking alone. Several runners passed me, but I hanged in there, kept my mind off the pain and focused on slowly making my way to Cala d’Hort. I got a motivation boost in the most technical and slippery descent of the race, where I passed a large group with little effort. 

I kept dreaming of the aid station at Cala d’Hort: of what I’d drink and eat. Once I got there, I spent a few minutes refueling and getting mentally ready. Good thing was, the next aid station was only 7 km away. After a very steep climb out of a ravine, the race followed easy paths and railroads. Sadly, that’s where my legs started cramping up the most. I stopped, stretched, and looked for distractions: turned on some music, messaged my daughter. When it most hurt, I thought of my dad, and asked him for help. He’d have been proud of me. He usually was. 

After a couple of k totally alone, a chatty group of 4 girls and a guy passed me. Funny thing was, only half a minute later they had to stop, as one of the girls had a huge cramp. “Sorry to slow you down”, one of them apologized. “No worries”, I answered. You’ll be passing me again in no time. Closer or farther apart, we would keep each other company until the end of the race. 

I got to the last aid station where, strangely enough, lots of runners congregated. Where were they for the last 10 km?  I then knew I’d made it to the end. And I did, to be cheered by K., and then treated by her family to a glorious lunch of bullit de peix at a local restaurant. 

Round up

What did I most enjoy? Pretty much everything. The challenge. The mental game, which helped me overcome my physical limitations. And of course, the feeling of being physically fit and running fast. 

Will I do it again? Most likely. I’ll try to aim for a race with more runners to keep me company!