Mallorca Odyssey 2021

13 April 2021

A huge thanks for even thinking about helping out Cancer Support Mallorca through the Mallorca Odyssey. Your support is greatly appreciated! ~ Sean Judkins, Founder of Mallorca Odyssey

Publisher's Note #

We here at Affordable Mallorca love grateful people who are willing to go the extra mile, in this case literally, in orderBy to build a stronger community. Sean and Anita are those people who inspire the rest of us to offer comfort to our neighbors. This is why we are supporting Mallorca Odyssey and look forward to continuing our support for Cancer Support Mallorca. Read about the first annual sporting event that connects people to the island in a meaningful way.

Serra de Tramuntana 1170x450 2

How Mallorca Odyssey Was Created? #

Sean Judkins, a New Zealand native who settled on the island in 2007, is a teacher at Agora Portals School and is a well-known rugby coach. As Sean says, "There were many reasons why this idea was born, each a motivating factor."

  • “I needed a reason to get me off the couch, something that was hard enough to scare me.”
  • “Help the amazing charity Cancer Support Mallorca (a registered charity).”
  • “Go one better than my wife (more on that later).”

The motivation for this “Odyssey” began back in May 2013 when Sean’s wife, Anita, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Having detected it early, Anita was able to get the necessary procedures and treatments to successfully “battle the demon.”

Sean and Anita credit the fantastic medical expertise and attention with healing her physically. But the help and support they received from Cancer Support Mallorca was “nothing short of extraordinary.”

As part of her recovery, during Easter 2016, Anita formed “Walk the GR221” and, along with five friends, walked from Andratx to Pollença along the GR221. This was an eight day odyssey of their own. Staying in refuges, sharing her friends' company and having a great time inspired them to make that trek an annual event. Anita has now completed the Tramuntana traverse four times with a variety of fellow participants, raising more than 15,000€ for Cancer Support Mallorca.

Hike GR221 tourist girl orange backpack enjoys view

What is an Odyssey? #

The word “Odyssey” refers to an epic poem by Homer about Odysseus, the King of Ithaca, about his long journey home after the Trojan War. Many talk about an odyssey as a long wandering or voyage, usually marked by many changes of fortune. Recovery from a shocking medical diagnosis of cancer can feel much like a personal odyssey. In the spirit of the actual geographic route, the Mallorca Odyssey will take you from rural south of the island’s town of Andratx to the urban north to the town of Pollença.

Sean’s journey as the spouse of a breast cancer survivor serves as a beacon of hope for all family members and friends who often agonize over watching the suffering of a loved one.

Kayak in Dragonera

More About Mallorca Odyssey #

Sean continues to explain why he created this event, “Not to be outdone by Anita, my own attempt to support this wonderful charity was going to be the Tramuntana Travessa, a 120km one-day mountain running race, following a similar route from Pollença to S’Arracó in November 2020. Unfortunately, COVID delayed that plan. From the askes of these two disappointments, Dromeas Yachts Mallorca Odyssey was born.

New Zealand is in the DNA of Mallorca Odyssey

When Sean lived in New Zealand, he completed the Kathmandu Coast-to-Coast three times. His father completed that race six times. This is a non-competitive race that builds on the local adventure that has created an iconic tradition.

At the moment, this isn’t one of the objectives of Mallorca Odyssey but never say never. It’s just about enjoying the outdoors while we can, keeping the mind and body healthy and supporting Cancer Support Mallorca. ~ Sean Judkins

Meet The Team #

The Mallorca Odyssey team is formed by Jake C, Stella G, Conrad K, Carla C, Celia de S, Sylvia Enseñat and Lucía Lugo (in the picture; from left to right). They are all studying their first year of the IB Diploma and therefore have been engaging in various CAS activities and projects.

Mallorca Odyssey Team

Seven students from Agora Portals School on Mallorca were selected as a team to be the technical support. Each of them are working toward the International Baccalaureate, a special high-school level graduating diploma, established with the purpose to “give all students the opportunity to receive an education fit for a globalizing world”. The program intends to develop students' intellectual, emotional, personal and social skills.

One of the essential elements all students must complete as part of the Diploma Programme is a subject called CAS (Creativity, Activity and Service). This is meant to engage the students in a range of activities alongside their academic studies, allowing them to grow by developing their creative and physical activities, as well as learning to give back to the community.

Mr Judkins presented the event to the students and, alongside it, an opportunity for them to help through the management of social media accounts and other technical aspects. They were all very excited and eager to participate. All teams had to present a proposal to show what they could contribute to the project either technically or through content creation. After all proposals were considered, the teams were announced: Jake and Conrad as the Technical Team and Stella, Carla, Celia, Sylvia and Lucía as the Content Creation Team.

Sponsors #

This event is made possible for all the local sponsors. A vision to support a local NGO that relies heavily on donations requires strong support from local businesses. Sean secured Dromeas Yachts as the main sponsor for the event. Affordable Mallorca is pleased to sponsor the t-shirt for the event. To see a list of engaged sponsors who you can support for your local business and sports needs, click here >> List of Sponsors

Dromeas PNG

The Big Day #

Check on the Mallorca Odyssey social media for Live Location feeds and up-to-date information for the latest of the participants. If you are inclined, make sure to join them at Stage 10 in Santa Ponça toward the end of Day 2. Bring your camera and send photos. We’d love to see images of Mallorca Odyssey 2021. Please send to [email protected]. Thank you.

My goal will be to circumnavigate our beautiful island in a kayak, on a bike and by foot in two days. Hopefully, I will get some likeminded souls to accompany me on one/some/all of the 10 stages. ~ Sean Judkins

Kathmandu Coast-to-Coast 2021

Kathmandu Coast-to-Coast is an epic, fun race. Kayaking, Cycling, Running. Watch to see how participants help each other to complete the course.

Click here to watch the event that inspired Sean
Kayaking in New Zealand Mallorca Odyssey youtube

Sources

Mallorca Odyssey

13 April, 2021

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