Palma de Mallorca Marathon
Palma, Spain · October · Independent
Why people love it
- Start and finish beside Palma Cathedral, with 12 km (7.5 mi) along the bay.
- Live bands and strong old-town crowds, per 2024 and 2025 runners.
- Aid about every 4 km (2.5 mi) with water, isotonic, fruit and sponges.
- Free city buses for runners on race day, and the airport is 8 km (5 mi) away.
Watch out for
- Heat: 14 °C (57 °F) at the start but 25 °C (77 °F) in the old town by mid-morning.
- About 9 km (5.6 mi) of cobbles and flagstones in the old town, twice.
- Shared start with the half; congested for about 5 km (3 mi).
- The second lap is quieter, with little shade on the seafront.
- Few athletes have written about the marathon itself; most reports are from half runners.
Race
How racers feel about it, how well it is run, and how it treats a first timer. Counts for 28% of the overall score.
Toughness: Tough
- Racer satisfactionLiked3.4
Mixed: Racecheck 4.9 from one runner, RaceRaves 2.7 from 3. Reports praise the city and live music but complain of heat and congestion. · Low confidence
- OrganizationAdequate3.4
Quick bag drop and free post-race beer in 2019, but bib errors in 2024 and long bag-drop and toilet queues in 2025. · Medium confidence
- First timer friendlyDoable3.1
Flat seafront and frequent aid help, but two laps, cobbles, heat, a congested shared start and no clear cutoff information. · Low confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- PR potentialAverage3.2
Flat for about 12 km (7.5 mi), then cobbles and short climbs, early bottlenecks and heat. Winners run 2:31 to 2:34. · Medium confidence
Course
Scenery, road surface, closures, and room to run. Counts for 20% of the overall score.
- Course sceneryBeautiful4.0
Start and finish by Palma Cathedral, yachts in the harbour and live bands in the old town. RaceRaves scenery is only 3.0 from 3 ratings. · Medium confidence
- Room to runSome pinch points2.7
The first 5 km (3 mi) are congested with half runners, the seafront bottlenecks, and the old town has sharp turns and two out-and-backs. · Medium confidence
- Road surfaceMixed2.9
About 9 km (5.6 mi) of old-town flagstones and cobbles, slippery at aid stations; the seafront is smooth asphalt. · Medium confidence
- Road closuresPartly closed3.4
A 2018 runner said old-town shoppers could slow runners, so closure may not be complete. · Low confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- Course flatnessRolling3.4
Gain of 185 to 250 m (607 to 820 ft): flat for the first 12 km (7.5 mi), then rolling old town twice. · Medium confidence
- Net downhillEven3.0
Two-lap loop starting and finishing at the cathedral, with no net drop. · Medium confidence
Support
Crowds, aid stations, the start, and pacers. Counts for 20% of the overall score.
- Start logisticsSome waiting3.1
Shared start with the half and a 1 km (0.6 mi) walk to the pens. A 2025 runner queued at bag drop. · Medium confidence
- Pacers and timingSome pace groups3.4
A 2024 runner passed the 4:00 pacer and timing was by chip. Pacer range is not documented. · Low confidence
- Crowd supportStrong3.8
Strong old-town support and live music in 2025, a party start and costumed fans in 2024. A 2018 runner found the second lap quiet. · Medium confidence
- Aid stationsGood3.5
Six stations per lap, about every 4 km (2.5 mi), with water, isotonic, fruit and sponges. Mushy bananas and weak drink drew complaints. · Medium confidence
Conditions
Air temperature, how predictable the weather is, setting, and spectating. Counts for 14% of the overall score.
- WindMostly calm3.5
A 2024 runner noted little breeze, and no wind complaints were found. · Low confidence
- Air temperatureHarsh2.1
Starts near 14 °C (57 °F) but reaches 25 °C (77 °F) in the old town. Heat troubled runners in 2018, 2019, 2024 and 2025. · Medium confidence
- Weather reliabilityVariable3.0
Heat is typical, though 2023 had heavy rain and a one-hour delay. · Medium confidence
- Spectator friendlyEasy4.1
Two laps through a compact old town and past the start-finish zone, where a club crew cheered its runner. · Medium confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- Low altitudeSea level4.9
Palma sits near sea level, at about 10 m (33 ft). · High confidence
Stay and travel
Hotels, walkability, getting there, and the town around the race. Counts for 10% of the overall score.
- Hotel availabilityGood3.8
A large tourist city with many hotels, though about 9,000 runners fill beds on race weekend. · Low confidence
- Hotel valueNormal3.4
October is shoulder season. A runner staying at Can Pastilla paid 2 EUR (US$2.30) for the bus to the start. · Low confidence
- WalkabilityWalkable4.2
Start in the old town, with cheap buses from hotels and free race-day buses from 07:00. The centre is walkable. · Medium confidence
- Travel easeVery easy4.5
Palma airport is 8 km (5 mi) away with direct flights from many European cities. · Medium confidence
- LogisticsSimple3.5
Expo beside the cathedral with easy bib pickup, small but adequate. Bag-drop queues in 2025. · Medium confidence
- Town and foodGood4.4
Cathedral, old town, beaches and abundant food, and every reporting runner praised the city. · Medium confidence
Entry
How hard it is to get a place, and what you get for the fee. Counts for 8% of the overall score.
- Getting inEasy4.2
Open entry for marathon, half and 10K. Sell-out status not found. · Low confidence
- Value for moneyFair3.0
The half cost 70 EUR (US$80) with shirt and photos extra, plus a free post-race beer and massage. Marathon fee not found. · Low confidence
Key facts
- Location
- Palma, Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain
- Typical month
- October
- Latest or next date
- 18 October 2026
- Organiser
- Independent
- Distances
- 42.2 km (26.2 mi)
- Course type
- laps
- Climbing
- 185 m (605 ft)
- Start time
- 08:15
- Surface
- Asphalt on the seafront, flagstones and cobbles in the old town
- How to get in
- open
- Air temperature
- 14–26 °C (57–79 °F)
- Humidity
- Humid island air, little shade on the seafront
- Altitude
- 10 m (33 ft)
- Nearest airport
- Palma de Mallorca (PMI), 8 km (5 mi) away
- Where to stay
- Old town near the cathedral, Paseo Maritimo, Can Pastilla
- Booking
- Hotels cluster in the old town and along the bay; Can Pastilla near the airport is cheaper with buses of 2 EUR (US$2.30) to the old town. Book early because the race fills the city.
What racers and reviewers say
- Steel City Striders race reportRaced 2025 · blog · Mixed
Finished in 3:53:50. Too hot on the second lap, especially on the seafront with little shade. Congestion for the first 5 km (3 mi), long queues at bag drop and toilets, six aid stations per lap with water, isotonic, fruit, some gels, sponges. Loved the old-town crowds and live music; said she would do the half next time.
“Brilliant weekend away in a beautiful city.”
- Steel City Striders race reportRaced 2024 · blog · Mixed
Half marathon runner who also described the shared marathon route. 14 °C (57 °F) at the start, 20 °C (68 °F) by 08:40, 25 °C (77 °F) in the old town. The first 4 km (2.5 mi) bottlenecked on the seafront, with 9 km (5.6 mi) of flagstones and cobbles, drink stations about every 4 km (2.5 mi), free buses for runners, easy bib pickup and a small pasta party.
“Lots of trip hazards.”
- RacecheckRaced 2019 · aggregator · Positive
Single 4.9 review: intense sun and a hard second lap with cobbles and small climbs, but a feel-good atmosphere, quick bag drop, well-organised pens, free massage and beer.
“A feel good atmosphere.”
- RaceRavesRaced 2024 · aggregator · Mixed
3 ratings, 2.7 overall; difficulty 3.7, scenery 3.0, production 3.0, swag 3.0. Complaints: 2024 bib registration errors and a 70 EUR (US$80) half fee, a crowded 2018 start, a quiet second lap, poor refreshments, heat and no shade by the sea. Praise for the fast promenade and aid in 2017.
“Warned about heat and dehydration.”
- Majorca Daily BulletinRaced 2023 · article · neutral
About 7,000 runners in 2023; the start was delayed an hour by heavy rain and temperatures stayed lower, so the usual heat was absent.
Show 2 more
- Runner's World GermanyRaced 2025 · article · Positive
Over 9,000 runners from 76 nations in 2025, 46 percent women; German winners in 2:31 and 2:46.
- Seemallorcaarticle · Mixed
Older news item saying heat hit many northern European runners not used to October temperatures; quotes 250 m (820 ft) total gain and 12 km (7.5 mi) on the promenade.
Raced Palma de Mallorca Marathon? Your notes on the course, conditions and logistics help the next athlete decide.
Sources
Pages we used for facts and ratings. See how we rate.
Training for Palma de Mallorca Marathon? Moku Coach builds your plan around race day.