Five Spanish women cancer survivors embark on an extreme adventure challenge in Costa Rica
The 2025 “Pelayo Vida Challenge” will travel the country from coast to coast, combining sport, self-improvement and nature
Verónica Guillén, Mapi Morón, Idoia Fernández, Eduina Rodríguez, and Toñi Delgado are five Spanish women who have survived cancer and are participating in the eleventh edition of the "Reto Pelayo Vida," an extreme sports challenge taking place for the first time in Costa Rica from October 22 to November 4.
For fifteen days, the expedition members will cross the country from Playa Matapalo (Pacific) to the mouth of the Pacuare River (Caribbean), passing through places such as Santa María, Cerro Vueltas, Río Pejibaye, Turrialba, Mollejones, and Siquirres. The journey includes 60 km of mountain biking, 50 km of hiking, 38 km of rafting, and 15 km of kayaking.
The five participants, selected from among 523 candidates, are visiting Costa Rica for the first time. The ICT supports the initiative, which seeks to promote hope and physical activity as part of the cancer recovery process.
“This event touches the heart, as it features women who inspire with their life examples. We at the ICT celebrate Costa Rica hosting this experience that combines tourism, resilience, and nature,” said Alberto López, General Manager of the ICT.
The challenge will be documented in an audiovisual that will premiere in Madrid and on Amazon Prime Video in 2026, showcasing the experiences of the protagonists and the Costa Rican landscapes.
The opening day took place on October 22 at the Hotel Costa Rica, across from the National Theater, with the participation of 60 local survivors from the organizations FUNCAVIDA, Unidos Contra el Cáncer, and Asociación Metamorfosis.
“The Pelayo Vida Challenge seeks to inspire and demonstrate that there is a lot of life after cancer,” said Verónica Guillén, one of the expedition members.
Since 2015, the project has traveled to destinations such as Tanzania, Greenland, Nepal, Patagonia, Jordan, and the Arctic, bringing together more than 3,000 female cancer survivors from 11 countries.
Between January and September 2025, more than 40,900 Spanish tourists and 309,700 European tourists visited Costa Rica by air, according to ICT data.