Many athletes will tell you that excellence is all about suffering. They chew nails for breakfast and compete in races named after iron, steel and other unbreakable materials.
For Sister Madonna Buder, on the other hand, it’s about love. The 75-year-old, Iron-distance triathlete admits that with age, her competitive edge has mellowed a bit – but even as an active teenager, she never let a finish line obscure the joy of living.
“I wouldn’t want to ever be a robot about it,” she says adamantly. “I just love being out there in God’s cathedral and using my talents.”
That’s not to say the nun from Spokane, Wash., isn’t made of the same stern mettle as her competitors, or that she hasn’t suffered her share of breaks and bruises. Of her history of injuries and her brush with hypothermia at a race in Lake Havasu, the triathlete muses, “They just keep chipping away at me like a Dresden Doll and I just keep recovering.”
Maybe it’s a testament to how far female athletes have come that someone with Sister Buder’s attitude can not only thrive but excel. In the last 20 years, Buder has completed over 200 triathlons. She holds multiple age-group records for the fastest times at the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, where she was the first female over 75 to complete the event.
She also holds records for her finishes at Ironman Canada in Penticon, B.C., in 1992, 1995, 2001, and recently won in 2005 for the 75 and over age group with a time of 16:46:30. Additionally, she is a 12-time gold medal recipient at the International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships and was inducted into Maryville University’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991 in Saint Louis, Mo.
Following no strict training program or diet, Sister Buder trains when she can make time in her busy schedule. Between volunteering at the local jail and police substation, she waits for breaks in the weather to get out and swim or run. She finds treadmills abhorrent, although she does enjoy her rowing machine occasionally.
In fact, Sister Buder finds that, perhaps due to a lifetime of consistent activity, she can often begin a race season cold and power through with little or no training. And when the elements or injuries slow her down, she is lightning-quick to recover. “I rarely use therapy,” she adds. “I just listen to my body.”
An immensely popular figure in the triathlon circuit, Buder’s praises are sung by other racers and her fans. Her enthusiasm and grace are a boon to those around her, and even when she’s out of commission due to an injury she can usually be found volunteering in the medic tent, at the epicenter of chaos when the sun starts beating down and athletes begin wearing out.
This June, Sister Buder will be on hand in the medic tent at Ironman Idaho in Coeur d‘Alene. Fans can also expect to see Sister Buder return to compete in both Ironman Canada and Hawaii later this year.
The one thing that’s taken Sister Buder a bit by surprise is the changes she’s noticed since she reached her 70s. She enjoys running less, and now the lower-impact activity of swimming suits her better. It also takes her a little longer to recuperate. But her faith helps her take it all in stride.
— Anne Scalamonti is an Outdoors NW intern and an avid cyclist. |
