Dan's start in triathlon can best be described as modest and humbling. His first race was an off road triathlon in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado in 2001. The horror began with 'nearly drowning' in the swim then multiple mechanical, physical and psychological breakdowns on the bike before finishing with a less than inspired trail run in soccer shoes. From that day forward he's resented the mitigation when people would say, "only a sprint." Despite a rough entry to multi-sport he gained a new perspective on what the sport offered while living in New Zealand and interacting with the future stars of their Olympic program. Inspired, he returned to Boulder to finish his studies and quietly set target on qualifying for the Olympics and Kona, since in Boulder such goals are not made without those around knowing exactly what it takes to get there. While in college, he worked at the Boulder Theater, Radio 1190 and the Vitamin Cottage. Such jobs allowed income to finance racing while providing access to music and discounts on food, both being necessities in life. He was also an officer and raced for University of Colorado triathlon team, coached a youth soccer team, climbed Mt McKinley and qualified for Kona. Having not accomplished enough, he stayed on to complete a Graduate degree while starting a career in engineering. All the while he continued to prioritize training, allowing himself the critical years of development before jumping into the pro ranks. In 2010, Dan's first year as a professional athlete he managed 5 wins and 5 podium finishes. At his first ITU event, earned 4th place and opportunity to join USAT development program. During this time Dan also opened a gym in Denver CO, coached triathlon, cross country as well as a youth and masters swim team and helped kick off the LifeTime Fitness Triathlon Training Program. Despite all this, the real work was yet to come, as he found out in early 2012 when he began his tenure as development athlete and coach, first under Matt Koorey and then Brett Sutton and the Trisutto.com team. Needing a year to fully embrace the training principles of Trisutto Dan started to see significant improvements, all of which were wiped out after a serious injury from being hit by a car while training. After overcoming this setback Dan went on to record wins and podiums including 3 top 10 finishes in Ironman distance events before 2014. He has now returned to ITU racing in his focus for the Olympics. 

Dan's coaching philosophy prioritizes individual attention and he delivers this through online communication and in person training sessions. Athletes are invited to train a few days or weeks with Dan. In addition to traveling for races, he splits his training base between Cozumel, San Diego, Boulder and St. Moritz.