The No+Suicides Race Reaches a Thousand Participants in its First Edition in Torremolinos

The first edition of the No+Suicides Race, which took place this Sunday in Los Álamos, Torremolinos, exceeded the expectations of its organizers, ... with a thousand participants, compared to the 750 bibs that were initially considered.

The origin of this activity lies in the personal experience of Teresa González Coca and how she coped with the loss of her sister Raquel; a clear commitment to overcome it through exercise and a healthy lifestyle.

Thanks to this effort, this amateur triathlete managed to be first in her category at the world championship of this discipline held in Torremolinos last year. Upon contacting the Alhelí Association of Málaga, which, in addition to actively working against suicide prevention, supports people in the grieving process for the loss of a loved one, she decided to launch this initiative with a clear goal: to raise awareness about the importance of mental health care and about the benefits that sport has in maintaining it.

"I have put a lot of hope into it and I believe that, to this day, I have not lost it to continue organizing this race. The most important thing is that it is a day with great feeling for many people, where we can express what happened to us one day and tell society that we need to talk about this issue," Teresa González Coca clearly stated, satisfied with the great support received, as shown by the fact that once the initially planned 750 registrations were reached, it was decided to expand to 1,000 and the number was covered in just 48 hours with the possibility of having continued to grow, given the demonstrated interest.

The event featured two routes, of 5 and 10 kilometers and a children's circuit, open to runners, volunteers, and the general public. The entire collection, once organizational expenses are covered, will be donated to the Alhelí Association to continue with its work of psychological and social support. It is a non-profit organization that has been working in Andalusia for over 10 years and its work has been recognized with awards such as "Málaga Voluntaria 2018" and "Becas Argal 2024". Its fundamental values are empathy, respect, listening, and solidarity.

The mayor, Margarita del Cid, who joined the race along with council members of the Torremolinos City Council, thanked the Alhelí Association and the triathlete Teresa González, for a gesture that helps to "give visibility and raise awareness" about suicide.