Valdecilla hosted the presentation of the event, which donates all proceeds from race bibs to IDIVAL each year to directly fund oncology research projects and “turn donations into real cures.”
The 16th Luchamos por la Vida March will take place next Sunday, April 12, in Los Corrales de Buelna. This well‑established regional solidarity event donates all funds raised through participant bibs to the Valdecilla Research Institute (IDIVAL) to directly support oncology research projects and, according to its organizers, “transform donations into real cures.”
This year’s event was officially presented in the Gómez Durán Auditorium at the Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital (HUMV) and featured the participation of Óscar Fernández Torre, Director General of Planning, Organization, Knowledge Management and Digital Health; Galo Peralta, Managing Director of IDIVAL; Luis Mariano López, Director of Nursing at the hospital; and Ricardo Martínez Portilla, President of the Luchamos por la Vida Association.
The event, which brings together sport, social commitment, and support for research every year, will allocate all funds raised to scientific projects aimed at tackling the disease. This edition is expected to sell out the 6,000 bibs made available.
Funding oncology research and clinical work
As the organizers highlighted, it is a festive day focused on health and solidarity, and this year’s edition will culminate in the funding of two specific IDIVAL projects.
Part of the funds will support the continuation of research on the “assessment of molecular markers in the progression of aggressive breast cancer: metastasis and DNA damage,” led by researchers Virginia Álvarez and Alfonso Bolado.
The project aims to further study how cellular transformation and dissemination occur in aggressive breast cancers, including triple‑negative types. This phase will delve deeper into the molecular and biological aspects related to therapy response (both conventional and radon‑derived treatments). It will also examine the mechanisms behind cancer cell resistance to chemotherapy and conventional treatments, as well as cytoskeletal alterations involved in cellular dissemination.
Additionally, as a new feature this year, the donation from Luchamos por la Vida will support the team led by IDIVAL researcher Jaime Jimeno in advancing the project “Optimization of clinical research in breast cancer through automated data extraction using artificial intelligence.” This clinically oriented project aims to analyze clinical data from patients who have undergone breast cancer surgery, with special attention to their long‑term outcomes.
The organizers also emphasized that this year Luchamos por la Vida will refurbish 21 benches in the waiting rooms of the Oncology and Hematology departments at Valdecilla Hospital “to make waiting as comfortable as possible for cancer patients and their families.”
Since its inception, the march has donated €350,000 to health research projects carried out at IDIVAL.
Registration now open
Registration for the 16th Luchamos por la Vida March is now open and can be completed through the following website: https://www.gedsports.com/race/16a-marcha-solidaria-luchamos-por-la-vida-2026
For those unable to register online, the organization will open its headquarters this afternoon from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
For just €3, participants will not only join a “major solidarity event” but will also receive a welcome pack including the official event T‑shirt, a backpack, their race bib, a 2‑for‑1 voucher for the Puente Viesgo Spa, a refreshment bag at the end of the march, and the chance to enter a prize draw.
The event also features a full program of activities, including sports exhibitions, guided classes, music, a solidarity community meal, and activities for children such as workshops, games, inflatables, and face painting.
