Meredith Kessler

Athlete Profile

Discipline: Triathlon
Category/Distance: Ironman & 70.3
Training Location: San Francisco, CA

Meredith was a four-sport athlete in high school and then competed in track and field hockey at Syracuse University. After graduating in 2000, she began her career as a triathlete and raced her first Ironman. While working 60-hour weeks in the finance industry, Meredith began competing as a pro in 2010 and went on to win Ironman Canada.  Now dedicated to training and racing full-time, Meredith still manages to find time to teach at VeloSF, a cycling studio in San Francisco.

     Visit Meredith Kessler's website

Training Tools

Joule	PowerTap Hubs	Trainers

Training and Racing

What are your most important power training metrics?

WATTS! WATTS! WATTS! Since I do most of my cycling indoors, I train primarily on watts and cadence which intern then simulates when riding outdoors and when racing. Given the Joule provides BOTH of those (and more!), I'm instantly set up for success by CycleOps and able to learn from the power in order to try to improve in the long run.

What CycleOps products do you use?

The Joule! The sweet sweet Joule...heaven on a bike.

What are you pre-event rituals?

I give my wedding ring to my husband, Aaron, RIGHT before the swim start! He's my good luck charm for sure.

What are your must-haves on race day?

Keeping it SIMPLE is key. As long as I have the basics: Aaron, my Orca wetsuit, my Orbea Bike/Shoes/Helmet, Reynolds Wheels w/ CycleOps Hub built in of course, my Joule and my Saucony running shoes with Oakley shades & Clif nutrition... I'm good to go and race ready!

What is your favorite pre-event meal?

OUTBACK: Grilled Chicken and sweet potato with their tasty molasses bread and side salad with tangy tomato dressing = key!

What is your favorite post-event meal?

McDonalds French Fries are CRUCIAL! With ample ketchup and salt....

What is your greatest achievement/proudest moment in your sport?

My proudest moment would likely have to be Ironman Canada last year..it was an honor to be there and I felt very fortunate to take home the victory in my first year as a professional triathlete.

What is your favorite race?

Ironman Arizona...having done it every year that it has been offered, I just love that it is so spectator friendly and I enjoy loops on the bike and the run! On the run alone, you can see your crew 16 times. That is motivation for us all for sure!

For Fun

What is your favorite training song?

Chillin by Wale is a current favorite. Music inspires me very much in all realms of life so having music you love during training is ideal...and it does make workouts whiz by most of the time!

What is your guilty pleasure?

Living close to wine country in the Bay Area, my husband and I are very much into WINE and belong to many local wineries! It's not so much a guilty pleasure, as we have it often, but we enjoy it with food very much!

What do you do when you're not training?

My time outside of training is devoted to my friends and family since they are all an integral part of my life. Dinner parties, wine tastings, celebrating birthdays, planning parties, teaching others. I also coach several athletes under the purplepatch umbrella which is really rewarding.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I always wanted to be a psychologist. I really enjoy listening to others and trying to help, in all capacities, as much as I possibly can.