Coach : David Daniel
Starting with cross country in high school, David learned early on the value of exercise and nutrition as important pillars for a happy life.
After college, he started training for and racing half marathons in the Charleston, SC area, running on a team sponsored by the local running store. In 2003, David competed in his first sprint triathlon, taking 3rd in his age group. He was immediately hooked. Since that time, David has completed 7 half-ironman distance races, multiple international distance tris, and Ironman Florida in November 2008.
In 2005, David hired a triathlon coach because he felt like his training needed more organization. His work with a coach gave him a great sense of how important the bond between a coach and athlete is, and his results proved that the investment was a good one. David decided that he wanted to take the lessons he learned from his coach and apply them in his own unique way, so in 2007 he became a USA Triathlon Level 1 certified coach.
David’s coaching style focuses not only on the physical preparation for races, but also on the commonly ignored mental aspect of training and racing. He believes that in any given race, there can be multiple people who are all physically capable of achieving roughly the same goals and in the end, what separates the people who achieve their goals from those who do not rests almost solely in their mental preparation and execution. David emphasizes the importance of good communication between himself and the athletes he works with. One of the most important lessons he ever learned was the value of really listening to people and responding to them, rather than simply dictating to them based on his assumption of where they are coming from. When David works with an athlete, he really wants to understand their ups and downs and manage them accordingly.
David was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia and now lives in Freeport, Maine with his wife Anne. He works with The Nature Conservancy’s Maine chapter as the Associate Director of Philanthropy. In his spare time, David enjoys playing the guitar, hiking, watching any organized sport on television (with a special affinity for the Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Falcons, and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets!), and reading.
David is available to coach triathlon, running, or swimming.
