Firefighter runs 42km through Benidorm in powerful mission to ‘break silence’ on suicide

A Madrid firefighter has completed a gruelling 42-kilometre run through Benidorm as part of an extraordinary challenge that will see him cover 3,953 kilometres across Spain, one for every person who died by suicide in the country in 2024.

Jaime Domínguez Ibáñez, an ultrarunner, Madrid City Council firefighter and Psychology student better known as “JimmyGo”, arrived in Benidorm on Friday, August 7, carrying a message that extends far beyond sport: that talking openly about mental health could help save lives.

His visit formed part of “Romper el Silencio”, or “Break the Silence”, an ambitious awareness campaign using a series of extreme endurance challenges to encourage conversations about suicide prevention, mental health, bullying and loneliness.

42 kilometres through Benidorm

Domínguez was joined for Friday’s marathon by runners from Benidorm Athletics Club and firefighters from the Marina Baixa fire service.

The 42-kilometre route initially focused on Poniente Beach before heading across the resort, with the final seven kilometres following sections used by the Benidorm Half along Levante Beach.

After hours on his feet, JimmyGo reached the finishing point outside Benidorm Town Hall at 12.37pm, where members of the local authority were waiting to welcome him.

The initiative also received support in the city from Club Balonmano BND, Hoteles Servigroup and Fundación Directivos Hoteleros.

But crossing the finishing line was only one small part of a much bigger journey.

One kilometre for every life lost

The number at the heart of the campaign is 3,953.

That was the number of deaths by suicide registered in Spain during 2024, according to official figures cited by organisers and participating authorities. Domínguez has pledged to run the same number of kilometres, transforming the statistic into a physical representation of thousands of individual lives.

The project began on April 12, when the firefighter set out to run through all 179 municipalities in the Community of Madrid.

Between April 12 and June 1, he covered close to 2,000 kilometres, roughly equivalent to 45 consecutive marathons, with his progress interrupted only by the days when he had to return to his job as a firefighter.

The next phase began in August and is taking him further across Spain. His current challenge involves completing 30 marathons in 30 consecutive days before ultimately reaching Santiago de Compostela.

The campaign was born from both Domínguez’s professional experiences as a firefighter and painful experiences closer to home. Speaking during an earlier stop in Cartagena, he revealed that suicide had affected members of his own family and his wider circle of friends, helping drive his determination to bring the subject into the open.

Carrying the ‘torch of silence’

Perhaps the most poignant element of the journey is something Domínguez carries with him.

Known as the “antorcha del silencio”, or “torch of silence”, the wooden object is being filled with names, messages and dedications written by the relatives and friends of people who have died by suicide.

It will travel with JimmyGo throughout his journey before eventually reaching Santiago de Compostela, where it is due to be burned as a collective tribute to those who have lost their lives.

The project has already attracted deeply personal responses along the route. Domínguez has said people regularly approach him to share their own experiences of suicide, loss or mental health struggles, regardless of whether he is passing through a large city or a small town.

Benidorm breaks the silence

Ahead of Friday’s marathon, Domínguez also appeared at Benidorm Town Hall on Thursday evening to explain the story behind the campaign.

Dozens of people attended the event, where Benidorm councillor Juan Díaz interviewed the runner about his experiences. Mayor Toni Pérez and Social Welfare councillor Ángela Zaragozí were also among those in attendance.

Domínguez spoke about using “sport and social causes” together to reach people who may otherwise be suffering alone, while stressing the need to make conversations surrounding suicide, mental health and childhood bullying less taboo.

His message throughout the campaign has been that silence can deepen isolation, while talking, listening and recognising when someone may need professional support can open a route towards help.

For the firefighter, the thousands of kilometres are ultimately a means of making people stop and pay attention.

And as he left Benidorm behind to continue one of the toughest challenges of his life, the purpose remained the same: to ensure that behind the staggering statistics, the people struggling in silence are not forgotten.