Madonna Buder is well known in the Triathlon community for her achievements in age group races. She has completed over 325 triathlons including 45 Ironman Distances.

She completed her first triathlon at age 52 and first Ironman event at age 55 and has continued ever since.

At 75 years old she broke the record and became the oldest woman ever to complete the Ironman race, but she didn’t stop there. She went on and broke the same record the next year, at 76 years old, and again at 79 years old. In fact, the Ironman organization has had to add new age brackets as the sister gets older.

She competed in the Ironman triathlon again in 2012 as she wanted to open up an 80+ age category and be the oldest person, male or female, to finish an Ironman triathlon. Buder thus became the overall Ironman world record holder in age at age 82 by finishing the Subaru Ironman Canada on August 26, 2012. She beat the record previously held by 81-year-old Lew Hollander.

 

She is quoted saying, “I train religiously”, which isn’t hard to believe, seeing as she’s this good, and you know, a nun.