Ahhhh, Mother’s Day.

It’s a great day to relax, happily accept flowers and gifts from the hubby and children, and enjoy any other perks coming your way.

Yeah, for most moms, that may work out fine.

Suzanne Harper crosses the finish line at last year's Patriot Triathlon in Rio Rancho.

But for Shining Stars Preschool principal Suzanne Harper, there’s a triathlon to compete in today.

Her husband and other family members can wait.

Harper’s going to run a 5K, ride her bicycle 20 kilometers, then swim 400 meters, completing the 31st annual Jay Benson Triathlon.

A Southwest Challenge Series event, the Benson Triathlon originated in 1977 and is one of the oldest continuing tri-events in the country. In 1979 it was named after Jay Benson, an athlete and event participant himself, who died from complications of diabetes.

Harper can empathize with Benson; she had a bout with a potentially fatal disease, anal cancer, but survived.

Harper came to New Mexico in 1972 — like many others — from New York, heading to College of Santa Fe.

She played a few sports while growing up,

“I was legally blind in one eye so team sports were out of the question,” she said. “This was in pre-Title IX days. My dad and brothers played hockey, so I skated. I grew up near the ocean and I swam a lot.

“When I turned 42, I was diagnosed with cancer. I went through a lot of chemo and radiation.

“I had been active. … I was pretty fit in my 20s. I was a runner but got weak, and dropped to 90 pounds,” she said, determined to emerge a survivor. “I went to the gym three times a week with my husband, was weight training with my husband and I built up.”

Employed by Rio Rancho Public Schools since its inception in 1994, Harper’s first position with the district was as a special education teacher.

“It’s been quite a journey,” Harper said. “I looked death in the face.”

She decided she would enjoy whatever time she had left, has since traveled the world and owned a sports car just “for fun.”

Along the way, she was promoted to principal at Colinas del Norte Elementary, then became the principal at Shining Stars when it opened four years ago.

She joined the Danskin team in training and started competing in triathlons, especially enjoying the team’s rhetorical motto: “When’s the last time, you did something for the first time?”

Danskin’s Team Albuquerque is coached by Rio Ranchoan Andie Talmadge, the organizer of the inaugural Patriot Triathlon in Rio Rancho last fall. (See more about Talmadge, a personal trainer, at fitfundamentals.com).

Working out several times a week has helped Harper gain a new lease on life, and being around Talmadge and her Team Albuquerque teammates has been a blessing.

“We all have stress in our life,” Harper said. “It’s the most amazing thing.”

When she’s on her bike, she said, nothing else matters. She’s totally focused on the task at hand. Any residual stress from her campus and her office are gone.

“I’m focused on the moment and, (when it comes to triathlons), I’m getting better,” she said. “I’d encourage anyone of any fitness level.”

Talmadge says the Harper story is a good one.

“Mostly, she’s an inspiration,” Talmadge said. “She’s overcome a lot of obstacles and never given up. She never stopped believing in herself. She’s been kind to her teammates, she’s fun to be around, she has a positive attitude.

“As an athlete, she’s proven it doesn’t matter what age you are. You can decide to do something and you can achieve it,” Talmadge said. “I hear a lot of people who say, ‘I can’t do that because I have this and this and this against me.’ Suzanne has proved you can get around (those obstacles), if you have patience.”

It’s been said patience is a virtue and Harper isn’t about to dispute that.

“I would say I’m definitely in better shape than 15 years ago,” she said, hoping her story will encourage others to get into triathlons.

“It’s going to keep you young, keep you fit,” she advised. “I look forward to better times (in the events).

“This is my dream: Last year at Danskin, (Albuquerque Public Schools) had a huge team. I just wish Rio Rancho would get involved.

“This is good for you, good for your colleagues but, most important, good for yourself.”

Honestly, the best present for Harper on Mother’s Day is out of her husband’s reach: “faster bike, faster run, faster swim.”

Then, she can slow down for a while. And then, more training: She’s gearing up for a Danskin series triathlon in Denver in late June.

“People like me who are just average? Now I think of myself as an athlete,” Harper said, smiling and happy to be alive, pedaling and running and swimming today.