Sister Madonna Buder, 86, veteran triathlete!

Sister Madonna Buder, 86 years of age, is not your typical nun. In fact, she’s about as atypical as she could possibly be! She’s been entering Iron Man triathlons for … well, forever, it seems. Listen to her:

“I never was afraid of water, so I think I could cope with the swim … I used to ride my mother’s balloon-tyred bike, so I guess I could handle a bike (if I had one) … and the running, now I know I can do, so maybe I should give triathlon at try”.

So that’s how she started with triathlons!

Twenty-five years later, and she still ‘trying’ … and travelling the world, taking part in triathlons in dozens of countries.

A triathlon? What does that actually entail??

Just in case you’re not aware how challenging a triathlon really is, let me remind you. A triathlon consists of 2.4 miles of swimming in the open ocean, 112 miles cycling, finishing off with a full marathon of 26.2 miles.

At the risk of stating the blindingly obvious, that’s a hell of a demanding race for anybody, regardless of age or experience. As Sister Madonna says, you have to be physically fit (of course), but you also have to be psychologically fit. And she also has a little extra help … she puts her trust in her creator, who is in charge of everything, and in whom she feels totally secure.

She says she’s also aware, even during a hard race, of the beauty and the wonder that surrounds her. She takes time to gaze appreciatively at the places she’s passing through, thanking the original creator for his wonderful and breathtaking productions. And she often mentally repeats a strength-giving mantra, such as

“Praise The Lord, Bless His Holy Name”

 which, as she says, has a nice rhythm to it. Repeating it mile after mile transports her mentally to another place, where she’s barely aware of the rigours of the race.

I know I don’t have to say this (again, it’s blindingly obvious), but this woman is a shining example to all of us. An absolute inspiration. Even those of us who think we’re fairly fit, maybe well above average, perhaps even exceptional. Even to those people she is an example of steadfast faith, steely determination, and how to live life to the absolute limit.

Triathlon inspiration!

Personally, I am in awe of this woman. She makes me realise, or perhaps remember, that we can all do extraordinary things, and we can all push through our limits. Let’s face it, our limits are all self-imposed; if we really want to excel at anything, we can. The only thing standing in our way is ourselves!

Oh yeah … and she also sums up the topic of failure neatly too. Listen to her on that subject:

“The only failure is not to try”

Wow … speechless …