Five Spanish women cancer survivors will participate from October 21st to November 4th in the tenth edition of the “Reto Pelayo Vida,” an extreme sports event held for the first time in Costa Rica, according to the organizers’ announcement this week.
They will cross the country from the Pacific, starting at Matapalo Beach and reaching the Caribbean, on a 15-day expedition that includes 60 kilometers of mountain biking, 50 kilometers of hiking, 38 kilometers of rafting, and 15 kilometers of kayaking.
This initiative is supported by the Marketing Department of the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ITI), with the goal of positioning our country as a destination with a variety of outdoor and adventure activities.
A journey filled with adventure, natural beauty, gastronomy, and customs
“Through this challenge and the documentary that will be filmed, we will learn the stories of five women cancer survivors who have demonstrated great resilience and who, on a journey filled with adventure, natural beauty, gastronomy, and customs, will experience the Pura Vida experience. We are undoubtedly excited to show you Costa Rica and proud to be part of this inspiring project that embodies courage and fills us with hope,” said Ireth Rodríguez, Head of Vacation Segment Promotion at the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT).
The five participants selected from among 523 candidates are Spanish women Verónica Guillén, Mapi Morón, Idoia Fernández, Eduina Rodríguez, and Toñi Delgado.
This year’s unique tour will combine sport, nature, and self-improvement. Each stage of the challenging journey will be filmed to later create a documentary. The participants will recount their experiences and showcase the uniqueness of each stage of the expedition, the scenic beauty of Costa Rica, and the details of their daily lives. The documentary will then be shown at a public event and on the Amazon Prime Video streaming platform.
Adventurers, Exemplars, and Survivors
During previous editions, the “Pelayo Vida Challenge” has visited Tanzania, Greenland, the Atlantic Ocean, Nepal, Spain, Patagonia, Bolivia, the Arctic Council, and Jordan, bringing together a total of 46 female competitors across all expeditions. Between 2015 and 2023, the nine editions of the “Pelayo Vida Challenge” invited 2,293 female cancer survivors from 11 countries to apply for one of the positions.
According to the most recent data from the Costa Rican Tourism Institute, between January and May 2025, a total of 17,496 Spanish tourists arrived in Costa Rica by air, and a total of 197,370 European travelers arrived by air, according to a recent report by the ICT. Costa Rica is our fourth largest source market for travelers from Europe. Currently, Spanish airlines Iberia and Iberojet operate direct flights from Madrid to Juan Santamaría International Airport.
