ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – When you’re working toward a big goal, it can make all the difference to have someone cheering you on. But there’s something even better, someone running toward the same goal right beside you. 

Helen Candelaria and her mother, Jessie Cardenas, know that firsthand. 

“She has inspired me to do a lot of hard things in life, and I’ve always looked to her as a role model,” Candelaria said. 

Candelaria said she and her mother have a special connection. So she knew when she signed up for the Honolulu Marathon in 2024 her mom would be cheering her on. 

What Cardenas didn’t know is her daughter was already figuring out how to convince her to run too. 

“I said absolutely not,” Cardenas said. “I’m not doing it. No, that’s too much.” 

Turns out, with a trip to Hawaii on the table, Cardenas wasn’t that tough to convince. So, at 70 years old, she began running. 

“I knew that if she was there, I was going to finish. And I think she knew if I was there, she was going to find a way to finish,” Cardenas said. 

With the 26.2-mile race ahead of them, they had to keep each other accountable. Candelaria’s goal was to improve her health. Her mother’s was to prove to herself and others that age is just a number. 

In December, the two found themselves at the starting line in Honolulu. They represented New Mexico in matching Zia shirts. They both finished the race and the year on a runner’s high. 

“All you need is the willingness to do a little bit more than you did the day before, and that’s going to get you through not only your walks or your runs, but it’s going to get you through life one step at a time,” said Cardenas.