The grace of God

US – A new campaign by Nike celebrates 86-year-old Sister Madonna Buder, a record-breaking triathlete and Catholic nun.

• Unlimited Age is part of the brand’s Unlimited campaign, which inspires athletes to push their limits
• Buder, who has completed 45 Ironman races, demonstrates the power of the mind over muscles

Directed by Wieden + Kennedy, the tongue-in-cheek film highlights Buder’s extraordinary determination and athleticism, and shows that age is no obstacle to taking part in sport.

Narrated by actor Oscar Isaac, the spot opens with Sister Buder at prayer and steadily gathers pace to reveal the full extent of her athleticism, from a calm morning jog to a frenzied beach dash at an Ironman Competition. The narrator voices his mounting concern for the intrepid athlete as the exercises become more intense until another Ironman competitor reassures him. ‘Relax,’ he says. ‘She’s the Iron Nun.’

Sister Buder began training at the age of 48 and completed her first Ironman at 55. Nike’s powerful campaign celebrates the determination and personality of The Flat Age Society, and shows that the brand is focusing on psychographics rather than demographics.