Background
Kessler was born Meredith Keeran to parents Keith and Debbie and raised in Columbus, Ohio.
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Meredith Kessler
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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.
Career
She was named United States of America Triathlon"s 2014 Non-Drafting Athlete of the Year. Growing up she was a four-sport athlete playing field hockey, swimming, track, lacrosse and attending Columbus Academy. lieutenant 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 Royal Bank of Canada 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 Royal Bank of Canada. In her first race as a pro she placed 7th at Ironman Arizona. 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 Saint 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 International Telecommunication Union Long Distance World Championships in Henderson, Nevada, 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 and three consecutive at Ironman 70.3 Saint George from 2012 to 2015. Kessler married husband Aaron in 2008. They were high school sweethearts and he was taught by her mother in first grade.
