Camins de pedra en sec (CPS)

Camins de pedra en sec (CPS)

The name means dry-stone paths, and that is what the course is built on. From Cala d’Estellencs it follows the Camí des Correu to Esporles and on through Valldemossa, Bunyola, Orient, Alaró and Fornalutx, crossing the municipality of Escorca by the Talaia de Cals Reis and the Tossals Verds. The last stretch comes down the Barranc de Biniaraix, protected as a cultural asset since 1994, to the finish by the sea in Port de Sóller. The organiser gives 3,740 metres of ascent.

Assistance is allowed only at the Alaró aid station, by one person with a bag of up to 30 litres. The time limit is 21 hours 30 minutes, so the back of the field finishes in the early hours of Sunday. The CPS earns 3 Running Stones and is a qualifier for the CCC at UTMB Mont-Blanc.

Following a 104 km day from the harbour is mostly waiting, and the runner’s Livebib link makes it easier: position on the course line, distance covered and a finish estimate that updates after each climb. In the gorge at Biniaraix or anywhere the phone loses signal, the position moves on along the path and is marked as estimated rather than stuck.