Living in San Diego we are blessed with great training conditions, scenery and athletes. This next gentleman is a friend and fellow triathlete. I am honored to know him and in awe when I watch him race. Ladies and Gentlemen please take a moment to get to know a little about: Philippe Krebs

KK: Philippe, please tell our readers a little bit about yourself. Where did you grow up?

PK: I was born and I grew up in the French speaking part of Switzerland, close to a city called Fribourg - 30,000 inhabitants, which is a mid size city for Switzerland. Everything is smaller there...

KK: What was your athletic background as a youth?

PK: My parents registered me for swim classes when I was about 8 years old. I kept swimming competitively until I started my PhD program at the age of 24. Since my hometown has only limited training infrastructure I only got the chance to compete at regional and national meets.

KK: What is your academic background?

PK: For my degree corresponding to the US high school / bachelor I chose a classical humanistic way with focus on Latin, ancient Greek and philosophy. I got a masters degree in biochemistry and molecular biology - which was quite a change. In grad school I then specialized in immunology, the science studying which strategies are applied by the body to fight pathogens. I got my PhD in 2005 from the ETHZ in Zurich, which is a world-renowned technical university.

KK: What do you do for a living?

PK: I am now research associate / postdoctoral fellow at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. My research is at the interface of immunology and genetics. In my lab, we strive to identify proteins critical for the body to control and survive infections and which are the underlying mechanisms.

KK: How did you get involved with the sport of triathlon?

PK: We had a division with triathletes in the swim club. My brother, who is 2 years younger, started first with the sport of triathlon. I only began to run and cycle on a more regular basis when I started grad school.

KK: In 2008 you had a remarkable run. You won Super Frog ½ Ironman (overall), Pendleton International (overall), Ironman Arizona (age group and 2^nd amateur), finished 2^nd overall at the Pendleton Sprint Triathlon and 3^rd in your age group at the San Diego Rock & Roll Marathon. How did you prepare for the Super Frog event?

PK: 2008 was indeed an exceptional year for me in terms of success in sport. I was very lucky to stay safe from any sport-related injury or accident. I have learned a lot from previous mistakes.

PK: The biggest aim of my season was a qualification for the Ironman Hawaii in Arizona in November. All the other races were planned as preparation or intermediate tests to subserve this goal. The only specific training for the Superfrog ½ Ironman were a few training runs on soft sand.

KK: What was your training like going into San Diego Rock & Roll Marathon?

PK: A brick training both 7 and 6 days before the race... Of course the worst preparation ever, but as mentioned before, the Marathon was a preparation per se. Still I was able to improve my 2007 performance of 30 seconds... this was quite a good sign.

KK: How does your body handle all the distance throughout the season?

PK: My job as a researcher is very demanding and it is common that I have 11-12 hour days. Therefore I can only do long training sessions during the week-ends. I remember several Mondays when I was tired and had sore legs. So I believe my life as a researcher prevents me from overtraining. The problem is that I have only limited recovery time; my body has to be satisfied with 6h30-7h of sleep per night. Also I started to use a foam roller to prevent injuries. I believe that this helped a lot together with my very healthy diet (lots of fruits and vegetables).

KK: Congratulations on your 1st place finish and your 2nd trip to Kona. How did the Ironman Arizona (IMAZ) experience compare to your Ironman Switzerland experience?

PK: Both courses are quite different; the bike section in Switzerland has a significant elevation gain while IMAZ is rather flat (false flat). Furthermore I had never been to Tempe AZ before so that it was more difficult for me to anticipate what to expect there. I knew that the desert environment would be very dry; ironically, I think I drank too much during the bike part. On the other hand I believe I never had that many friends participating in the same race and cheering me on throughout the competition as at IMAZ; this was truly a unique experience.

KK: Tell us what it was like going to Kona.

PK: I was particularly proud I made the qualification to Kona two months after getting my PhD. This was indeed a very intense time. In Kona it took me a while to adjust to the climate and the time shift (-12 hours for Switzerland). I remained nervous and anxious until the very end of the race. I knew that since I had invested so much for it, failing and returning back without finishing the race was not an option. Also many friends warned me about the extreme conditions on Big Island. Fortunately enough my race turned out way better than anticipated.

KK: How will you prepare this time around? Will it be different or are you going to stick to your old game plan?

PK: I should be better prepared than last time. I have now new material (a triathlon bike instead of a road bicycle) and the course is not novel any more for me. I would like to focus particularly on riding and running for the preparation. Do more intensity trainings. Nevertheless, even with the best preparation so many little events can happen during the race... the mental factor is not to be underestimated.

KK: How do you balance family, friends, training, career, traveling, racing, etc?

PK: This is very difficult. Because I am a perfectionist, I would like to give my best at everything I do. This means that I have barely time to relax and that I probably do not sleep enough. Although I have to confess that I like having a full program; stress is a motivator for me and adrenaline is usually what keeps me moving. I believe that it only works if one can decide everyday what has to be prioritized. Fortunately my wife shares the same hobbies and my friends also happen to be my training partners.

KK: If you would, what are some tips that you would give to someone starting off in triathlon?

PK: I would recommend joining a triathlon club. Participating in the various workouts and small races helps meet new friends and training partners. Listen to the advice given by several experienced athletes and try to find what the "average" truth is. It would be a waste of time to reinvent the wheel.

KK: If you were offered a chance to race professionally, would you do it?

PK: I really enjoy training and racing without any pressure and I do not want to loose this freedom. As far as triathlon is concerned, fun is primordial for me.

KK: What are some of your goals for 2009 and beyond?

PK: I plan to race locally around San Diego - although less than in 2008 - and the biggest goal of the season will be of course the Ironman in Kona. I have not committed to any major race in 2010 since I do not know yet what the next year will look like professionally. If I am still in California, I would like to race more half-distance races at Superfrog and Wildflower.

KK: What else would you like to share with our readers?

PK: I really appreciate that you gave me the opportunity to present myself on this website. I think that finishline-multisport is a great platform and I wish you success for the future.

Philippe Krebs

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