The love between a mother and her child is unbeatable — just ask Eric Domingo Roldan.
He pushed his mom who has multiple sclerosis (MS) in a wheelchair for 26 miles to raise awareness for the disease.
RELATED STORIES
By doing so, they beat the Guinness World Record!
Before you race through their sweet story, make sure you have the tissues handy!
Eric was only seven years old when his mother, Silvia, was diagnosed with MS.
This is a lifelong disease that affects the central nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves.
Since then, Eric has become an advocate for the condition with the goal to raise awareness.
So far, he organized a campaign called #42kmcorriEMdo, which aimed to raise over $3,000.
All of the proceeds went to the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation for advanced research for the disease.
But beating the Guinness World Record for fastest marathon pushing a wheelchair was his biggest feat yet!
“I thought it would be a good challenge for both me and my mum, because she’s been facing challenges since she was a child, and I thought she would love it,” Eric told Runner’s World.
He and his mother attempted to beat the record in 2020, but came up short by a painfully close one minute and 21 seconds.
For this year’s marathon, they were even more determined.
The marathon took place at the Zurich Marato in Barcelona, Spain on October 7th. Over 15,000 runners from 120 participating countries all showed up to compete.
Since this is his home city, Eric and his mother were starting the race off on the right foot.
He hit the halfway mark in 1:26, which put them in a good spot to beat the record.
“‘I was feeling happy from the first kilometre until the last, as my mum never stops cheering and supporting other runners, and that’s the best part of running together,” he told Runner’s World .
“Of course, there were points where I felt emotional, when I remembered difficult times like when mum had Covid in August,” he continued.
“But the crowd showed us so much love and support.” He said that his mother was nervous in the days leading up to the race.
“But when we started, Mum was the happiest person in the world, smiling, laughing and cheering,” he said.
“Amazingly, she was surprised when we arrived at 38km because she thought we were at 28km. It all happened so fast.”
When they crossed the finish line in 2:53:28, they set a new world record!
In a sweet Instagram post that showed Eric kissing his mother on the cheek, he shared how much this moment meant to them.
“I have no words, it’s probably the best day of my life. We had dream and we did it,” he wrote .
He then thanked all of the support they’ve received from friends and family along the way.
“But, as always, we weren’t alone, if it wasn’t for MY FAMILY and ALL THE SUPPORT That won’t be possible. Today, I only can say thank you. I made a promise and now it’s done,” he shared.
He went on to write that their world record win was for his mother, for multiple sclerosis, and for every single person who has supported them.
He also shared how it was a dream come true to Runner’s World.
“I was constantly looking at my watch to check if we were on time, and the last 195m were the best seconds of my life,” he shared.
“When we crossed the line I just wanted to hug Mum and tell her that we did it, for her and for multiple sclerosis,” he continued.
“To cross that line meant that we did what we promised after going through the hardest time of our lives.”
H/T: Runner’s World
