The Grace to Race by Sister Madonna Buder

The Grace to Race by Sister Madonna Buder

Author:Sister Madonna Buder
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: 2010-07-15T00:00:00+00:00


12

Iron Spirit

People always ask me how I’m able to compete

in the Ironman competitions at my age and do so well.

I have a very simple answer: I don’t know.

THE NEXT YEAR, 1986, I attempted the Hawaiian Ironman once again, traveling first to Australia, to enjoy another visit with my friend and to compete in the World Cup Triathlon in Perth. I got to Hawaii this time in fine shape, with no physical problems, geared to give it my all.

The swim and bike ride went well, and I was running on the Queen Kam Highway before dark set in. The sun dips below the horizon abruptly at six o’clock. I decided to play a game with myself, breaking stride, to see if I could walk as fast as the woman running in front of me and catch up with her. When I came alongside her, she glanced at me with a dazed expression. I touched her forehead and found she was feverish. Since she didn’t speak English, I made motions to indicate that she should drink some water, and I slowed to walk with her.

A runner going the opposite direction, coming back from the turnaround toward the finish, called over to me asking whether anything was the matter. I yelled that we needed water. Not long after that, he doubled back with a bottle of water. By then, I had pulled an aspirin out of my pocket and motioned for the woman to take it with the water. She complied, but I wondered if we could get to an aid station soon enough as she obviously needed attention. Just then, an ambulance came up alongside us and I motioned for her to get in. Fortunately she did, and I was able to continue. Now that I was free to carry on with my race, I realized I could still finish in a good time if I picked it up. I finished with a time of 14:31:58—an age-group record for women fifty-five to fifty-nine.

Next year when I flew to Hawaii for the 1987 Ironman, a sense of forboding gripped me. The Big Island, more than any other, reveals Mother Nature’s power in full. The heat from scorched lava beds and the testy trade winds can be merciless. It usually just inspires me to respect the Creator, but this year I had a strange premonition about the race.

A week before the event I was out training on my bike. As I was returning from an arduous ride, my vision blurred by sweat and fatigue, I recognized the figure running along the road as Pat Griskus. He, in turn, called out my name, and I reached out my hand to salute him as we passed. Pat was an ex-Marine who had lost his left leg during a motorcycle accident while he was on duty in Germany. He was in tip-top physical shape, competing with an artificial limb. This was to be his third Ironman. He was well known by the triathlete community for his courage and his determination not to let his infirmity keep him from being recognized as an elite athlete.



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