Meredith Kessler

Meredith Brooke Kessler (born June 28, 1978) is an American professional triathlete from Columbus, Ohio who races in long distance, non-drafting triathlon events. She took third place at the 2011 ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships and has won numerous Ironman and half-Ironman distance races as both an amateur and a professional. She was named USA Triathlon's 2014 Non-Drafting Athlete of the Year.[1]

Meredith Kessler
Kessler at Ironman Canada in 2011
Personal information
Born (1978-06-28) June 28, 1978
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight128 lb (58 kg)
Sport
CountryUnited States
Turned pro2010
Medal record
Women's Triathlon
Representing  United States
Triathlon
ITU Long Distance World Championships
2011 Individual

Career

Kessler was born Meredith Keeran to parents Keith and Debbie and raised in Columbus, OH.[2] Growing up she was a four-sport athlete playing field hockey, swimming, track, lacrosse[2][3] and attending Columbus Academy.[4] In 1996, after high school, she attended Syracuse University on a Division I athletic scholarship where she participated in field hockey and track. She graduated in 2000 with a degree in nutrition and hospitality management taking a job as a manager at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company in Half Moon Bay, California.[5] It was also at this time she purchased a triathlon bike with her graduation money and jumped into Ironman racing.[6] She later took a job in investment banking with RBC Capital Markets working 60 hours per week while still training 15 to 18 hours per week.[5][6]

As an amateur, Kessler averaged four Ironman races a year on a loosely put together training schedule. In order to seek more structure with her training she sought out Matt Dixon as her coach in 2007.[2][7] In 2009, she made the switch to become a professional triathlete, quitting her job at RBC. In her first race as a pro she placed 7th at Ironman Arizona. She would have three Ironman podium finishes in her first year as a pro, including a win at Ironman Canada 2010.[8] The following year in 2011, Kessler dealt with hyponatremia and hypernatremia nutritional issues at the first two big races of her race season at Ironman St. George and Ironman Coeur d’Alene.[2][7] However, she rebounded to take first place at Rev3 Portland, then took a third place podium spot at the ITU Long Distance World Championships in Henderson, NV,[9] before rounding out the year with her fastest Ironman time ever, almost breaking the nine-hour barrier at Ironman Arizona.

As a professional, Kessler has since recorded over a dozen first-place finishes in long distance triathlon, including five consecutive wins at Ironman New Zealand, three consecutive Ironman Arizona wins, and three consecutive at Ironman 70.3 St. George.[10][11]

Following her 9th Ironman race win at Ironman Arizona in November 2015, Kessler and coach Matt Dixon mutually parted with Dixon expressing admiration and respect for her.[12]

Notable results

Kessler's race results include:[10]

Personal

Kessler married husband Aaron in 2008. They were high school sweethearts and he was taught by her mother in first grade.[13]

In March 2013, Kessler was driving her automobile and hit a pedestrian. She "briefly stopped and checked on the victim ... Then returned to her vehicle and drove off." In August 2013, she was charged with felony hit-and-run.[14][15][16] The charges were later reduced to misdemeanor hit-and-run with Kessler entering an open plea agreement, admitting to hitting the plaintiff and leaving the scene of the accident. The sentence included 90 days of jail, three years of probation and restitution.[17] Kessler and the pedestrian also settled in the civil court in March 2015; according to the pedestrian's attorney, the final settlement was $300,000.[17]

References
  1. "USA Triathlon Names 2014 Elite Triathletes Of The Year". XTri.com. March 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  2. Carlson, Timothy (July 7, 2011). "Meredith Kessler survives and thrives". Slowtwitch.com. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  3. "About". meredithkessler.com. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  4. Williams, Blake (September 3, 2012). "Columbus Academy graduate has become one of the best women triathletes in the world". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  5. Clarke, Paul (November 18, 2013). "Triathlons are the new golf for investment bankers. Meet one financier who went pro". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  6. Buckley, Anna (October 8, 2013). "Kona Athlete Spotlight: Meredith Kessler". LAVA Magazine. Archived from the original on March 27, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  7. Dixon, Matt (November 21, 2012). "The Journey Of Meredith Kessler". Competitor Group, Inc. Archived from the original on March 27, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  8. "08/29/2010 Results: Canada". World Triathlon Corp. Archived from the original on March 27, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  9. Sherwood, Merryn (November 6, 2011). "Rachel Joyce claims another ITU Long Distance Triathlon world title for Great Britain". International Triathlon Union. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  10. "Race Results and Schedule". meredithkessler.com. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  11. Carlson, Timothy (November 20, 2016). "Sanders sets IM record, Kessler tops women at Arizona". Slowtwitch.com. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  12. Dixon, Matt (November 16, 2015). "Meredith Kessler, One Of The Most Successful Triathletes Of Our Time". purplepatchfitness.com. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015.
  13. Krabel, Herbert (June 28, 2014). "A close call for Meredith Kessler". Slowtwitch.com. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  14. "Well-known Bay Area triathlete charged with felony hit-and-run". KGO-TV, ABC News. August 21, 2013. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  15. Lee, Vic (January 15, 2014), Elite Triathlete Appears in SF Court for Hit, Run, ABC 7 News
  16. San Francisco Triathlete Arrested in Hit-and-Run Crash, CBS SF Bay Area, August 23, 2013
  17. Gourley, Jim (May 19, 2015). "Final Court Decisions Reached in Kessler Hit & Run Case". TRS Triathlon. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
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