Running News Daily

What began as an ordinary morning run ended in tragedy for 47-year-old Thelma Candelaria, a mother from Eloy, Arizona, who was killed by a train while out running on Thursday, October 15.

Candelaria had recently embraced running as part of a new chapter in her life. She had begun recording her runs and sharing them online, documenting what she described as a fresh start. Less than a week before her death, she had also been baptized, and she had told her followers that she was becoming increasingly committed to running.

Shortly after 6 a.m., Candelaria reached the railroad crossing near Sunshine Boulevard and Frontier Street. According to her daughter, Alaisha, she stopped to record a train passing through the area.

But while she was focused on the train in front of her, another train was approaching on a separate track from the opposite direction.

Alaisha said her mother was wearing noise-canceling headphones and apparently did not hear the approaching train. She described her mother as being completely absorbed in the moment during her run.

Eloy police said both trains sounded their horns. The second train also activated its emergency braking system, but there was not enough time or distance to prevent the collision.

Candelaria was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said their vehicular crimes unit is investigating the circumstances surrounding the fatal incident. Her family had already become concerned and reported her missing after she failed to return home from her morning run.

For those who knew Candelaria, the tragedy has left behind far more than the shock of a sudden death. She was a mother, a caregiver and a woman who had recently begun documenting a renewed commitment to running and a new direction in her life.

Her daughter has asked that her mother's death be remembered as a heartbreaking accident rather than anything intentional. The family has also established a GoFundMe campaign to help support Candelaria's children as they navigate the difficult days ahead.

A morning run that was meant to represent a fresh beginning instead became the final chapter of a life remembered by her family, friends and followers.

Her story is also a painful reminder of the dangers runners can face around railway crossings, particularly when approaching trains may be difficult to hear or see.

Candelaria left home for what was supposed to be another ordinary run. She never made it back.