Karen Bland has been swimming nearly her entire life, first starting as a youngster like most of us do. However, she really didn’t hit her stride – at least competitively – until the age of 40.

That may seem like an odd age to dive into competitive swimming, but for Bland it was something that just came naturally.

“I started swimming as a child, then I swam for the University of Tennessee when I was in college and then picked it back up at age 40 because a friend wanted to do a triathlon,” Bland said. “I won the 40 and over category for women and I said, ‘this is fun.”

Born and raised in Knoxville, Bland comes by swimming honestly – her parents started the Knoxville swim team, The Faculty Club, and then once she graduated from college, she was the aquatics director at the YMCA in Athens, Tenn. She worked for another YMCA in Halls, Tenn., and then came to Sullivan County in 1985 when Sullivan South High School advertised for a swim coach and physical education instructor.

“I certainly fit the bill, so that’s how I ended up in this area,” Bland said.

During the course of her career in Sullivan County, Bland taught at South, Ketron and finally Bluff City Elementary School before retiring in 2020. A few years before retirement, she made the plunge to come and swim at the Kingsport Aquatic Center at the bequest of a friend who kept asking her to join.

Once she did, she started seeing her times getting better and better – something she found surprising.

“When you get older, you’re really not supposed to get better,” Bland said. “When you swim by yourself, you don’t push yourself as much. However, when you have people in the lane beside you, you tend to push yourself and I did a lot of improvement during those years.”

During the Senior National Games in 2023, Bland broke the 400 meter individual medley record. Earlier this year at the Tennessee Senior Olympics she broke six state records. 

“The times I did at that meet actually surprised me. I swam faster this summer than I did last year,” Bland said, noting she is now competing in the 65 to 69 age group. “However, I think I’m past improving. Each new age group gives you new records to try and break, which is challenging. I’m just trying to stay injury free while fighting arthritis in one of my knees.”

In addition to swimming, Bland was also a sprinter in high school and began running marathons and competing in Iron Man events in her late 40s. She ran the Jackson, Tenn., marathon at age 48, the Boston marathon at age 49 and at age 50, competed in the Iron Man where she placed 5^th in her age group.

Still, swimming is the sport she’s stuck with the most.

“When I swim I just feel like it gets all of my frustrations out and I always feel good after a swim,” she said. “It’s nice not having to think about anything other than getting to the other end of the pool.”