{"id":4560,"date":"2026-09-09T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/retopelayovida.com\/?p=4560"},"modified":"2026-09-09T12:57:04","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T10:57:04","slug":"history-reto-pelayo-vida-eric-frattini","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/retopelayovida.com\/en\/blog\/historia-reto-pelayo-vida-eric-frattini\/","title":{"rendered":"That is how it all began: the story of the Pelayo Vida Challenge told by Eric Frattini"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pelayo Life Challenge was born in 2015 thanks to an idea by journalist and writer Eric Frattini: to create an expedition to prove that, after overcoming cancer, it is also possible to take on extraordinary challenges. What began as a dream ended up becoming a project that, twelve editions later, continues to inspire thousands of women.<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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All great stories have an unexpected starting point. That of the Pelayo Vida Challenge did not begin on a mountain or during an expedition. It began with a loss and a conversation that changed the course of a project no one imagined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In March 2015, Eric Frattini received the news of the passing of a friend of his due to stomach cancer. Just a few hours later, while watching TVE's Canal 24 Horas, he heard the testimony of a woman who had overcome breast cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That interview deeply impressed him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The female protagonist explained that, after finishing her treatment, her oncologist had recommended walking. At first she could barely take a few steps. Little by little she increased the distance, then she started running and ended up completing marathons and a 76-kilometer trail race in Kenya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That story brought up a question that would end up changing everything:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What if a great adventure starring women who had overcome cancer were created?<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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It wasn't just about organizing an expedition. It was about proving that cancer doesn't define a person's future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The inspiration behind the Reto Pelayo Vida<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The idea had a very clear goal from the beginning. Eric Frattini wanted to bring together female cancer survivors capable of becoming role models for other patients. Women whose stories could transmit hope from real experience, far from theoretical discourses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that idea, he began to seek support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the first steps was to contact the head of communications of the Spanish Association Against Cancer<\/a> <\/strong>(AECC), who put him in touch with the association's president. Although the project seemed too ambitious and there was still no funding, both immediately understood the human value of the initiative and decided to support it from the very beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That support was decisive in turning an idea into a viable project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Find the first female expedition members<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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With the idea defined, one of the greatest challenges arrived: finding the women who wanted to be part of that first expedition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first to join was Rosa Fernandez<\/strong>, one of Spain's most renowned female mountaineers and a breast cancer survivor, who also collaborated with the AECC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her addition brought sporting credibility to the project. Shortly after, the other team members arrived:<\/p>\n\n\n\n