There are sporting challenges that chase medals, others that seek records, and then there are those born from a deep wound. Tomorrow, Saturday, 8th August, the beach in Gandia will set the stage for one of the most meaningful gestures along the Mediterranean coast this summer. Jaime Domínguez, a Madrid City Council firefighter, ultra-distance runner, and psychology student known on social media as JimmyGo, will stop in the town as part of his “Romper el Silencio” (Breaking the Silence) initiative. The project involves completing thirty marathons in thirty consecutive days to speak openly about a subject that is all too often met with silence.
The aim of the challenge is to complete a marathon every day across various Spanish towns until reaching 3,953 kilometres. Each kilometre represents one person who died by suicide in Spain during 2024. It is not a randomly chosen figure or a rounded anniversary, but the starkest possible data showing the actual number of lives lost in a single year. The project uses sport as a tool to bring visibility to a reality that remains one of the primary causes of non-natural death in the country. Running, in this instance, is not an escape, but the exact opposite.
Domínguez is a neighbour of Sevilla la Nueva, a firefighter with Madrid City Council, an ultra-distance runner, a father of three daughters, and a psychology student. The initiative stems from personal experience, as three members of his family have died by suicide, and through his work as a firefighter he has witnessed the deep impact of silence in unforgettable situations. For the organiser, the goal is not to provoke debate, but to open necessary conversations and normalise talking about emotional suffering before it becomes too late.
The stage in Gandia will begin at 06:00 on Saturday from the Paseo Marítimo, opposite the Hotel San Luís, covering the streets along the beach to complete the full 42 kilometres of a marathon. The runner is expected to return to the starting point around 12:00. The day in Gandia also includes a special element: at 08:00, Domínguez will join the local running group Levántate Corriendo during their weekly outing along els Ullas and the Camí de l’Escorredor. Anyone wishing to accompany him can join in for whatever distance they choose, with no minimum requirement.
Throughout the journey, Domínguez carries the “Antorcha del silencio” (Torch of Silence), a wooden torch containing messages written by relatives and loved ones of suicide victims. It will accompany him all the way to the final destination in Santiago de Compostela.
The runner began this challenge on 1st August with the aim of traversing Spain in 30 days. Starting in Málaga, the journey finishes on 30th August in Santiago de Compostela after visiting numerous locations, including Nerja, Mojácar, Águilas, Cartagena, Murcia, Alicante, Benidorm, Valencia, Sagunto, Castellón, Tarragona, Bilbao, Santander, Gijón, Oviedo, and A Coruña. This route follows a previous phase between 12th April and 1st June, during which he ran through 179 municipalities in the Community of Madrid, covering nearly 2,000 kilometres. Former footballer and manager Míchel serves as an ambassador for the initiative.
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