Ionia Correctional Facility psychologist breaks through barriers to complete full Ironman triathlon

MI Dept. of Corrections
Nov 1 · 2 min read

Kari Nader was looking for a challenge when she signed up for the Ironman Race in Louisville.

She trained for a year for the grueling, day-long triathlon that traditionally includes a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bicycle ride and 26.2-mile run.

But one of her biggest challenges of the competition would come before the race even began.

Green algae in the Ohio River forced organizers to cancel the swimming portion of the event.

Determined to complete the entire race and not let her many hours of training go to waste, Nader started looking for alternatives to complete the swimming portion of the race.

“I was not walking away that day without doing the whole thing,” said Nader, a psychologist at Ionia Correctional Facility. “I could not control them cancelling the swim because of the algae in the river, but I could control if I was determined to swim that day somewhere else and how to make my goal complete.”

She said she also wanted to do it for her family, who provided so much support while she trained.

Nader was struggling to find a place to swim when her husband arrived in Louisville early and eventually found an RV park with a private lake where she could complete that leg of the race.

They arrived at the lake before sunrise and Nader’s husband held a spotlight for an hour and a half so she could see where she was swimming.

While other Louisville Ironman competitors only completed the biking and running portions of the event, Nader ultimately finished all three portions of the race.

Nader said her journey to completing the Ironman started 11 years ago when she set a goal to lose weight and shed 100 pounds in two years. Since then she said she has continued to set new goals for herself and wants to inspire others to live healthier lifestyles.

“If I impact one person to achieve a goal, I feel like it was worth it,” she said.

MI Dept. of Corrections

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The Michigan Department of Corrections provides the greatest amount of public protection while making the most efficient use of the State's resources.

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