Mundo Deportivo: A Son Pushes His Mother Through a Record Half Marathon in Valencia

Spanish runner Eric Domingo Roldán pushed his mother, Sílvia Roldán, in her wheelchair across the finish line of the Valencia Half Marathon on October 25 in 1 hour, 15 minutes and 49 seconds, Mundo Deportivo reports. The time set a new world record for a half marathon completed while pushing a wheelchair, improving the previous mark by one minute.

Sílvia, 63, has lived with multiple sclerosis for more than two decades. Running together has become the way mother and son share a goal, raise awareness of the disease and show what is still possible.

A Record Run in Valencia

The pair crossed the line in Valencia, a city famous for fast courses and record performances. According to The Running Week, the previous Guinness World Record for the category was 1:16:49, set while pushing a standard wheelchair rather than a specialized racing chair.

After the race, Domingo struggled to put the moment into words. "I have no words to describe today," he said, according to Mundo Deportivo, in comments translated from Spanish. "I have only done my job, for her, for my mother."

He added that the day had not been easy. "Only my mother was capable of achieving this," he said. "We have made history again, in Valencia again." The run was supported by Hyundai's Run to Progress project, which backs grassroots sport and healthy living.

Not Their First World Record

This is not the first time the duo has rewritten the record book. At the 2021 Zurich Barcelona Marathon, they set a Guinness World Record for a marathon completed while pushing a wheelchair, finishing in 2 hours, 53 minutes and 28 seconds, according to Mundo Deportivo.

Domingo began running in 2016 to draw attention to efforts against multiple sclerosis, including the work of the Fundación Esclerosis Múltiple in Spain, with which he regularly collaborates. Each race doubles as a way to raise awareness and support for people living with the disease.

A Mother Who Was Always There

Domingo has spoken about how the disease changed his family. He was 14 when his mother became ill, which he described to the Spanish newspaper SPORT as a harsh dose of reality. Over time, the woman he called the most active person in the world came to need constant support, including help to move or change position in bed.

He remembers who was there for him growing up. "I played football until I was 17, and I will always remember that she was the one who took me, rain, snow or whatever the weather was in Barcelona," he said. Now, he says, he cannot imagine running and breaking records without her. He calls each race a small tribute to the best mother he could have had.

What This Story Teaches About Goals

Records like this one are about more than speed, and they rarely happen by chance. Pushing a wheelchair over 21 kilometers at a pace near three and a half minutes per kilometer takes years of training, careful planning and a shared purpose between two people. Every turn, slope and water station has to be managed with someone else's safety in mind.

The story is also a reminder that the most lasting goals are often built around someone else. Domingo turned a painful family diagnosis into a mission that gives his mother a place at the center of every race and gives other families affected by multiple sclerosis something to cheer for.

If you are setting a goal of your own, consider who it is for. Purpose can carry you through the hard kilometers when motivation alone runs out. Break the goal into steps, train for it consistently and share it with the people who matter to you.

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