Because you´re reading this blog, I´m going to assume I don´t need to convince you why you should run, so I´m going to focus on the more specific matter of why you should do it in ibiza. Like many people that live in Ibiza now, I first came here to dance. Year after year I would come here to dance, eat, and lie on the beach. If any friends or friends of friends were going to Ibiza, I would be asked to plan their agenda, I knew the island so well (I thought). Then 15 years after that first visit to Ibiza I started running (in London, my home at that time). I ran when I visited Ibiza too, but just simple urban routes close to where I was staying.
When I moved here in 2018 my dream was to combine my two loves in life - running and Ibiza. I set up a group for other resident runners, and started getting lost on the trails. It was at that time that I realised that I hadn't known Ibiza at all! I gradually built up my knowledge of the parts of the island that you never visit when you come on a beach or club holiday, and I couldn't have loved the island more.
Few people realise that Ibiza is mostly forest. Really quite hilly forest. And coast of course! If you land during daylight, you can quite clearly see it from the air. And hidden in that forest and along those coastal paths are clues and signs to the Ibiza of old. Not the VIP island that everyone knows now but an incredibly poor island, where the population either worked the land or the sea. Where they endured a Civil War and the repercussions of it, even though it was not a strategically important location. Where they have adapted to living under the rule of eight different civilisations, and have more recently been invaded by hippies, tourism and electronic music. Some locations in Ibiza make me feel that I have run not 5km but 500 years back in time.
As well as unveiling the historical clues to her fascinating past, Ibiza will also dazzle you with the beauty of her nature - from the abundant wild herbs and vegetables to naturally-forming crystals, plus cliff-top views and rock formations that will take your breath away.
Embrace the lesser-run parts of Ibiza and you’ll get to experience forest paths, sand, cobbled streets, quiet caminos and rocky surfaces that you can either view as a challenge or an excuse to slow down.
If you go for a run in Ibiza, at every turn there is something new to see. And the great thing about that is that before you know it, you’ve run up a big hill or clocked off another kilometre… I’m sure I don’t need to convince you why that’s a good thing!
By Donna Warren, founder of Running Ibiza
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