Kevin Butters from Kent has become the first person to run the coast of Mallorca and he hopes that the benchmark he has set will inspire other Ultra Runners or athletes to not only follow his example, embark on the same adventure but also challenge his time. Kevin covered the 311.7 miles or 502 kilometres in six days, 11 hours and 12 minutes - his longest and most demanding run to date and one he did alone with no support crew.
“I’ve always loved Mallorca. I’ve been coming ever since I was a kid and then with the family and it was in fact my two daughters who suggested I run round Mallorca. So, I gave it some thought and considering I love Mallorca and I love running - why not? I set about studying the logistics involved considering I was going to do it on my own, worked out the plan and the route and landed in Palma on April 27. I walked from the airport over the bridge to my hotel and starting point in Can Pastilla and set off on the first leg of some 50 miles to Sant Elm on the Monday and got back to Can Pastilla some six days later,” he said.
“Obviously without a crew it’s a totally different experience, the whole dynamics, everything. Apart from running the equivalent of two marathons a day, give or take, I was up every morning at 5am. Therefore, in most areas, there was not going to be anywhere open for food or drink until around 8.30am at the best of times depending where I was. The east coast, for example, was pretty hit and miss with fewer coastal towns and resorts and many still closed. So for the first three hours or so I really was on my own.
“I’ve completed and competed in long ultra runs before and point-to-point events, but this was a totally different challenge. I’ve covered the famous GR 221 in the Tramuntana, but when you are running it to hit a target it’s a different experience. Plus, under foot, the ground changes all the time, so you’ve got tread carefully. And what one also has to taken into account is that there is a lot of elevation in Mallorca.
“Not only in the mountains but along the coastline, especially in the east, it’s very up and down and the total elevation I covered in Mallorca was equal to one-and-a-half times Everest. And as the hours and days pass, the tougher it gets - your legs end up feeling like tree trunks come late afternoon when you are quite literally shuffling, jogging at best. Yes, I got some funny looks at times, especially on the last leg through Arenal, but that said, I met some great people along the way, many of whom were only too keen to give me some water to help me keep going.
“And I only managed to get through the one new pair of trainers I bought, although the soles took a good pounding early on in the mountains. But they made it and they’re now hanging on the wall as a memento,” Kevin said. “My blisters have all gone, so has the inflammation in my legs. All I’ve got is a little niggle to my Achilles but I’ve been out for a few runs and it doesn’t seem too bad so I guess I came through in pretty good condition.
Meditation
“I got to see and experience parts of Mallorca I never knew existed and are spectacular. Running up to Cap Formentor at 5am, for example, is extremely hard to put into words, but the east coast is breathtaking. It certainly beats running from Land’s End to John o’ Groats along the M25,” he joked.
“I did have my poles or sticks with me but I hardly used them; they change your rhythm and if not necessary can slow you down. It was all about me and Mallorca and while there were moments of extreme tiredness and doubt, you just let those fears and thoughts stick with you in your mind until they pass and you carry on.
“You’ve got to manage the sun, the heat and the pain, but you just mentally lock in and put the bad stuff to one side,” he added. For me, it was great form of mediation to be honest. The connection I had with Mallorca, the landscape, the amazing environment, that’s what I concentrated on.
“I didn’t only complete the run alone, I flew out to the island on my own. So it was just me and the island and it was an amazing adventure And having seen Mallorca in a way very few people ever have, I would highly recommend it, although it’s not for the faint hearted,” said Kevin.
“You’ve also got to take into account the matter of sleeping. Apart from the fact I was up early every morning, you get what we call ‘trail brain’. You’ve got three to four hours to sleep but while your body will gladly switch off, your mind, your brain doesn’t. It’s clock watching, thinking about the day ahead, so there’s a mental battle going on as well, especially on long ultra runs like this. And much of it was unknown territory for me, so that complicated things more, but when you have those moments of doubt, there’s no point wasting energy trying to fight them, you overcome them,” Kevin said.
45-year-old Kevin only started running just over five years ago. “I’d been into rock climbing in a big way for most of my life, I’ve always been active but my brother has always been a runner and when he convinced me to enter my first half marathon in Maidstone when I was 40 I loved it. I was getting a bit tired of all the travelling involved with rock climbing, back and forth to France, etc. and running slotted in just right. Since then I’ve run Snowden a couple of times, numerous marathons and my goal is the UTMB Mont-Blanc - the most mythical and prestigious trail running race in the world with 171 kilometres and 10,000 metres of positive elevation gain around the Mont-Blanc through Italy, Switzerland and France. A race like no other, it transcends the sport, and has established itself as an iconic trail race, renowned worldwide.
Emotional
“But to enter it’s a lottery, plus you need to accumulate points via other races in the build-up and the next one for me is the Wales 3,000 in June. That race is the Formula One of ultra running and that’s my goal,” he stressed. “But I’m still going over the memories of Mallorca. I remember the last leg along the tops of the cliffs in Cala Pi. It was one of the most amazing views and the bluest sea I’ve ever seen, it was breathtaking. Then I turned the corner into Arenal, got some seriously odd looks through there, and then I could see the Cathedral in the distance and I knew I was home. It was quite emotional, my eyes filled up. A whole mixture of feelings flooded through me. But I feel deeply fulfilled and honoured to have run around the entire island - every step a reminder of the beauty, strength, and freedom that comes from chasing something bigger than yourself.
“Flying home, I looked down from the plane and traced the route I’d run - every bay, every bend, every mountain pass. It hit me just how far I’d come, in every sense. This island gave me more than just distance - it gave me clarity, perspective, and a quiet kind of pride. Grateful for every moment.” Kevin will be back to run the UTMB Mallorca in November.