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Meet The ‘Iron Nun’ – The 86-Year-Old Triathlete Who Proves Youth Is Unlimited

The star of Nike’s latest ad campaign will give you a run for your money!
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Nike’s latest “Unlimited” campaign highlights a very unsuspecting hero. For most 86-year-olds going to the hairdresser is the highlight of their week but Sister Madonna Buder explains that her life is anything but ordinary.

She has competed in one of the world’s toughest endurance races not once but 45 times. The ‘Iron Nun’ as she is so affectionately called didn’t start running until she was 47 but has definitely made up for lost time with no sign of slowing down.

Sister Madonna set the record for the oldest ever to compete at an Ironman at the age of 75 and at 82, set the world record for the oldest Ironman triathlon competitor.

‘But the ones that I’d look back and tell my twenty something self now are: It’s not what you say, it’s what you do; don’t pay attention to how old you are, only focus on how old you feel.’

Just to put this into perspective an Ironman race consists of a 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42.2km run…. Which she has competed in 45 times!!!

Her training consists of running to church every day, bike-riding 64km to swim in a lake.

So next time you are running low on workout motivation think of dear Sister Madonna.

Here is some behind the scenes footage from the campaign, which makes us love Sister Madonna even more!

This article first appeared on Women’s Health.

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