Meredith Kessler
Kessler at Ironman Canada in 2011
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| Born | June 28, 1978 | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 128 lb (58 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
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| Country | United States | ||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 2010 | ||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
Meredith Kessler
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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.
Kessler was born Meredith Keeran to parents Keith and Debbie and raised in Columbus, OH. Growing up she was a four-sport athlete playing field hockey, swimming, track, lacrosse and attending Columbus Academy. 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. It was also at this time she purchased a triathlon bike with her graduation money and jumped into Ironman racing. 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.
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. 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. 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. 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, before rounding out the year with her fastest Ironman time ever, almost breaking the nine-hour barrier at Ironman Arizona.
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