Ibiza Marathon 2026: One Founder's Story of Heat, Hills & the Final 10km
The beForm Nutrition founder swapped the grey skies of Yorkshire for Mediterranean sunshine, and 26.2 punishing miles through one of Europe's most beautiful and brutal marathon courses.
From the Barracks to the Balearics: Ben Bunting Takes On Ibiza
There are easier ways to spend a spring morning in Ibiza.
A coffee on the marina. A walk along the beach at Santa Eulària des Riu as the island stirs gently awake.
But for Ben Bunting, Army Physical Training Instructor, sports nutritionist, and founder of beForm Nutrition, easy has never really been the point.
In April 2026, Bunting lined up at the start of the Santa Eulària Ibiza Marathon, his first race of the year and yet another chapter in a sporting CV that already reads like a challenge junkie's bucket list.
Marathons from the streets of Manchester to the trails of Dalby Forest. An Ironman 70.3 and 140.6. An ultra marathon. Nordic skiing. Rugby. Duathlons. And now, again, Ibiza.
"I love a challenge," he's said before, and it turns out, he means it.
The Island That Bites Back
Don't let the word "Ibiza" conjure images of sunbeds and superclubs.
This island has teeth. The Santa Eulària marathon is widely regarded as one of the most technically demanding races on the Spanish calendar, drawing over 6,000 runners across its three distances and earning a fierce reputation for its relentlessly hilly terrain.
Ben felt every metre of it. "The route is particularly demanding with 20km of climbing to the highest elevation up to Santa Gertrudis," he said after crossing the finish line. "The heat was warmer than last year. The final 10km is always a killer, but the reception at the finish is always a blast."
He's not exaggerating on either count. The full 42.2km course is unforgiving.
The opening climb stretches relentlessly through the island's pine-covered interior, gaining elevation all the way up to the hilltop village of Santa Gertrudis, before the route winds back down toward the coastline and the finish line at Santa Eulària des Riu.
The sting in the tail? The notorious 30km wall arrives not on a flat stretch but mid-descent, when legs are already spent, and the body is running on reserves.
And with temperatures creeping higher than the previous year, this edition of the race demanded every ounce of preparation Bunting had put in.
It's a marathon that demands not just fitness, but a marathon fuelling strategy. Precisely the kind of race Ben Bunting was built for.
The Man Behind the Miles
Bunting isn't just a runner who happens to sell supplements.
He's a qualified Level 7 sports nutritionist, trained at Leeds Beckett University, and a serving British Army Physical Training Instructor, a career spent pushing people past what they thought they were capable of.
It was that deep, practical understanding of what the human body needs under extreme physical stress that led him to found beForm Nutrition.
Born from his own experiences across dozens of endurance events, the brand produces science-backed, vegan-friendly supplements designed specifically for runners, products formulated from peer-reviewed research rather than marketing trends.
"Supplements have never been a magic bullet for me," Bunting has written. "Rather, they form part of a holistic approach to fuelling." It's a philosophy that runs through everything beForm does: fill the nutritional gaps, support the training, and get out of the way.
And it's a philosophy he puts to the test every time he pins on a race number.
> Hydration in the heat: Electrolyte guide
Fuelled and Ready
Preparing for a race like Ibiza demands meticulous nutritional planning, something Bunting, almost uniquely among amateur runners, is professionally equipped to do.
Electrolyte balance, carbohydrate timing (tools such as a gel intake calculator are available for people to use), connective tissue support, recovery: these aren't afterthoughts for him. They're the foundation.
His beHydrate performance drink, lightly flavoured, sugar-free, fortified with essential minerals and vitamin C, is the kind of product designed for exactly this scenario: hot conditions, relentless effort, miles still to go.
A spring afternoon in Ibiza, with the Mediterranean sun bearing down harder than the year before and the descent to Santa Eulària stretching ahead, is precisely where that preparation pays off.
Why It Matters
There's something quietly powerful about the image of a man who spends his professional life helping others perform at their best, then goes out and holds himself to the same standard.
Bunting could write articles about marathon nutrition. He could post about carbohydrate loading and electrolyte replenishment from behind a desk.
Instead, he runs the race. He feels the 30km wall. He earns the finish line, on one of the toughest marathon courses in the Mediterranean, and carries those miles back into the products he makes and the advice he gives.
The Ibiza marathon is done. The 2026 season is only just beginning.
Somewhere, Ben Bunting is already planning the next one.
beForm Nutrition produces science-backed, vegan-friendly supplements for endurance athletes. Find out more at beformnutrition.com
