By Ann Marie Foley - 31 August, 2016
Footage of an 86 year old nun who ran her first Triathlon in Banbridge has ‘gone viral’ in a Nike promotional advert on the internet.
The inspirational, and humorous video, has been viewed millions of times.
It shows Sr Madonna Buder in a chapel praying in full habit and then running, swimming and cycling and it makes much of her determination to compete in the triathlon in spite of her age.
She declares, “The only failure is not to try, because your effort in itself is the success.”
She often runs to Church near her convent in Washington State in the US, and cycles 40 miles to a lake to swim. Sometimes she runs to the local prison where she reads scripture with the prisoners.
The former Good Shepherd sister, who moved to Sisters for Christian Community, explained that she had no interest whatsoever in running in her youth, and it was not until she was aged 52-years-old (in 1982) that she ran that first triathlon in Banbridge, Co Down.
The US-born Sister stated that the course was “full of hills”, and as wet suits had not yet been invented and it was a typical Irish July, “the water was darn cold.”
After that the Sisters of the Good Shepherd sent her to Hawaii. She completed her first Ironman World Championship triathlon there in 1985 at the age of 55.
She was given the title of ‘Iron Nun’ after completing the 2005 Hawaii Ironman at 75 years old, obtaining the record of the oldest woman ever to complete the race.
Over the years she has been called by that name as well as the ‘Flying Nun’ and ‘Mother Superior of Triathlon’.
She has just featured in the ‘Unlimited Youth’ Campaign for the Nike sports brand which has gone viral on the internet and been viewed millions of times on YouTube and other social media.
“Unlimited Youth celebrates an extraordinary athlete, Sr Madonna Buder, and her determination to defy conventional conceptions of age,” states the Nike company.
She often said that her coach is God, and her motivation comes from the divine.
“I thought of the finish line as the entrance to the final finish line, into the Pearly Gates,” she said. “That’s what drew me to [it],” she explained.
To date she has completed over 325 triathlons including 45 Ironman races. The Ironman triathlon, includes a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run.
She has appeared in publications such as renowned women’s magazine Cosmopolitan, as well as Runner’s World, US News & World Report, Sports Illustrated, AARP Bulletin, USA Today, and numerous others.
In 2010, she released her autobiography, The Grace to Race: The Wisdom and Inspiration of the 80-Year-Old World Champion Triathlete Known as the Iron Nun.
She details how her running began when she heard a priest, Fr John, extolling the virtues of running as a way to harmonise the mind, body and soul.
She took this to heart and with the backing of her bishop she tried various types of running until she discovered the triathlon.
Her first Ironman event took her 16 hours to complete and she finished 1 hour before the 17-hour midnight cut-off time.
Physical endurance is about to listening to the body and maintaining a positive mindset, she has stated.
“You carry your attitude with you,” she said. “You either achieve or you self-destruct. If you think positively, you can even turn a negative into a positive.”
She often advises younger athletes: “One step at a time makes a marathon.”
She was born in St Louis, Missouri and educated at Visitation Academy of St Louis, an all-girl Catholic school run by the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary.
This education helped her realise the importance of being of service to others.
It influenced her choice to enter a convent of the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd at age 23.
She later left the congregation to join a new and non-traditional community of Religious Sisters.
She became a member of the non-canonical Sisters for Christian Community, a contemporary religious order inspired by the teachings of the Second Vatican Council that is independent of the authority of the Roman Catholic Church.
During her sporting activities she has also raised money for a variety of charities.
