Tri Dentist David Kahn
David Kahn is practicing dentist as well as a professional triathlete in his hours away from work. A three-time Olympic trials-qualifier in his swimming days, David has now moved onto race 70.3s and won the 2011 Rhode Island 70.3.
Slowtwitch: So you and I have something in common and it’s not that we’re both Ironman 70.3 champions. We both live on Long Island, NY.
David Kahn: Long Island born and raised. I’ve been away at school for the better part of a decade but it’s good to be home.
ST: What do you think of the area for training?
David: Eh…Riding is really tough. I really only have two routes: one hilly, one flat… and traffic can be crazy. You could say I have an intimate relationship with my Computrainer. Running isn’t bad at all. I just wish there were a few more trails. And swimming is actually pretty good with all of the local beaches.
ST: Where do you ride?
David: I ride my hills in the Port Jefferson/Mount Sinai area. I have a 20-minute loop that I can do independent of traffic. Sunday mornings I ride out east towards Orient Point. It’s pretty much a straight shot but it’s really great for getting in TT efforts. I think when the weather gets a little better I’m going to experiment riding outside of NYC a little bit.
ST: What type of setup do you have for indoor training?
David: Because I work during a good portion of the daylight hours it’s really important that I’m setup to train indoors. I have a room in my apartment with my Computrainer and an elite level treadmill. I have a couple of flat screens with surround sound and fans mounted on the walls in strategic positions. Probably because of my days as a swimmer I’ve always been extremely dedicated to technique. About a year ago I bought cameras to set up in the room so I could evaluate the changes in my form as I fatigue but I never got around to setting that up. I live with my brother who’s currently dental school and who also races. We’ve had serious discussions about adding a disco ball for when we rock out to concert dvds during long rides.
ST: How did it come that you became a professional triathlete without ever owning a road bike?
David: After I stopped swimming I started doing some running and an old friend with a tri training group out of Austin said I should check out his club. I bought an entry-level tri bike and that’s pretty much when I started in the sport. At the time I hadn’t ridden a bike since grade school. Living in Philadelphia for 4 years, and then being in a residency last year, I have done so little riding out on the road that when I did get a chance to ride outdoors I needed to put miles in on a tri bike. I just received my first road bike that I hope to get fitted on by the end of March.
What have been some of your more noteworthy results?
David: Last year the results really weren’t there. I was in a residency program and I could only dedicate so much time to triathlon. Actually, the problem wasn’t so much getting in the training as it was getting in the recovery. Two years ago I won my first 70.3 in Providence. I also had a 2nd at Kansas and a 3rd at Florida.
ST: In which of the three sports did you get your start?
David: My background is in swimming. I swam through high school and also while I attended the University of Texas.
ST: Did you have ambitions to qualify for the Olympics?
David: Originally I did coming out of high school but my college career fell far short of my expectations. And even if my career had gone as I had hoped there were still a couple of guys named Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte who swam my event… Maybe you’ve heard of them? I went to trials twice where I swam in the semi finals of the 200 IM. I also had qualified for a 3rd trials but had already moved on to triathlon by the time those Olympics came around.
ST: What were your plans after you graduated Texas?
David: I took a year off following undergrad. I continued to swim casually and eventually got into triathlon right before I left Texas for the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine.
ST: When did you know it was time to go pro?
David: I think I raced about 4 times my first season as an age grouper with some pretty good results but decided to stay an amateur another year to improve on the bike. I continued to improve and finished my first full season in the sport as the USAT Elite Amateur of the year and Lifetime Fitness Elite Amateur Champ. I also won my age group at Clearwater. After that I made the jump to pro
ST: What are the challenges on being a dentist and professional triathlete?
David: Where do I start…I guess it’s important to say that I’m a dentist first who races as a professional triathlete. I’m the associate in my family’s group practice, which was established almost 35 years ago. There are 4 partners: my dad, my two uncles and a 4th partner who is not related but is family. My transition into private practice has been smooth because of the practice they have built, and also because the partners allow me the time to train and race as I wish, as long as I put in my 40-hour workweek. I do everything I have to do as a health care provider and then with the time I have left in the week I’m a professional triathlete. That being said, time is the biggest challenge. There aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish all that I’d like and because of that I have to make strategic sacrifices in my training. I recently started with a new coach and one of the things we concede is that my training cannot match someone who trains full-time. I simply don’t have the time… Our goal is to make the best of the time I have available so that training can be ideal in the context of my life.
ST: Who is coaching you?
David: I started working with Matt Dixon of Purplepatch Fitness this past fall.
ST: What special things has Matt brought to the table?
David: When I came to Matt I was dealing with injury and a handful of aches and pains. I even considered leaving triathlon behind and moving on to the next chapter in my life as a general dentist. For the last several months we’ve been focused on workout consistency and building strength. We’ve been increasing the workload slowly but steadily, something Matt has called pre-hab. I recently got back from a training camp in Kona with some other Purplapatch pros and age groupers. It was the first opportunity that I’ve had to put in some really high-end efforts and I’m looking forward to building upon the Kona trip throughout the race season.
ST: I noticed you are sponsored by Sunrise Tri, which is a very prominent name in the Long Island endurance scene. How do you enjoy working with them?
David: This season will be my 3rd season with Sunrise Tri and I cannot be happier with the friendships I’ve developed with Frank, Kathy and the rest of the crew. Not only are they a great, reliable shop, they’re good people.
ST: What are your race plans for 2013?
David: I will be opening up my season with Ironman 70.3 San Juan. It’s just about my favorite race on the circuit. I competed in the inaugural race and a couple years ago and really had a lot of fun there… and I always appreciate any opportunity to get away from the east coast during the winter. After San Juan I plan on racing St. Anthony’s and Columbia, building up to the Quassy/Eagleman double. Matt and I have talked about the second half of the season but probably won’t make any final decisions until we see how the first few races go.
ST: Best of luck! Represent Strong Island!
David led the swim of Ironman San Juan 70.3 and finished 13th. Visit his website at www.tritosmile.com
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