Among the myriad of successful athletes that Milligan has trained and produced over the years, there is a new name that you should remember: Kelly Essler.
You might recognize her former name, Kelly Chism. She is a 2014 Milligan graduate and the current head coach of the Milligan men’s and women’s swim team. In her time at Milligan, she was a standout swimmer in her freshman year, breaking five school records consisting of breastroke and distance freestyle events. After her first year, Essler changed gears and joined the cycling team where she remained for her following three years at Milligan.
During her freshman swimming season, Essler decided to try something new: triathlons. Over the years, she has competed in numerous races, using her pre-existing skills in swimming and cycling to get ahead of her competitors.
“[During a triathlon] I know that if I can get out in front in the swim and hold it on the bike, I should be in a pretty good place,” said Essler. “I love triathlons because while I am not extremely good at any one discipline, I’d say I’m fairly decent at all three. So triathlons are a pretty good mix of my athletic skills.”
With the support of her husband, Peter Essler, and her personal trainer, Shane Beer, Essler competed in her second national championship last month in Sarasota, Florida.
For the second year in a row, the swim leg of the triathlon was canceled due to weather and water safety reasons. Frustrated and disappointed, Essler had to push away the negative thoughts as her best leg of the race was now gone and focus on the duathlon that was ahead of her.
“The race consisted of a 1.5 mile run, a 12.8 mile bike and then a 5K run,” Essler recalled. “My first running leg was very strong, and I was holding off some women that were already on the USA team in previous years. Following the run, the biking leg was extremely difficult for me- it was very apparent that the other women I was racing against were primarily cyclists. So, I was getting frustrated, trying to keep positive thoughts in my head. I kept going at my own pace and tried to hold them off as well as I could. The last running leg was pretty decent for me considering how hot it was. My primary goal throughout the entire race was just to stay more positive than my first national championship. I told myself to stay focused on what I could control and ignore what I couldn’t.”
Essler finished the race in 11th place, missing the USA triathlon team by one place.
Most people would be devastated by working so hard towards something and missing it narrowly, but Essler remained confident.
“I was proud of myself because of two things: I persisted despite not having a swim, my strongest leg in triathlons, and I kept a better mental attitude throughout this race than I ever have before,” Essler said.
“It was a great experience to race with some of the best triathletes in the nation. I got to see what really fast triathletes look like and I realized how much work I still had to do.”
But Essler’s story doesn’t end there.
On October 22, Essler received one of the most important emails in her life. She was in her office next to the pool in the Steve Lacy Fieldhouse when she opened an email telling her that she had moved up a spot and was now officially a member of the USA Triathlon team.
“I literally fell on the ground after I had reread the email multiple times,” said Essler. “I just couldn’t believe it, I thought it had to be fake, and I balled my eyes out.”
But the email was, in fact, an official email from team USA saying Essler would be competing in Switzerland next fall for the world championships.
When asked who she believes she owes her success to, Essler answered immediately. “I owe my success first and foremost to God, because in reality, I don’t feel that I should have made the cut. But with His guidance, I trusted in Him and worked extremely hard, and here we are.”
Essler also wants to thank her personal trainer, Beer, for training her over the past year for the national championship, along with all of her previous swim coaches for pushing her over the years to be her best in her primary sport.
Last but certainly not least, Essler wants to thank her husband Peter for being her constant support throughout her years of competing and training. He has never missed a race and is always motivating her to be the best athlete she can be.
“I cannot wait to compete in a different county,” Essler says. “I have never been outside of the United States, so I am super excited to get the chance to compete in Switzerland for my country.”
Essler says the thing she is looking forward to the most is the “parade of nations,” where she along with the rest of Team USA will be wearing matching USA gear, “just like in the Olympics.” Essler also says that she is excited to “see all the different cultures competing,” knowing that she is representing her country with the “best athletes in the world.”