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EASTON, Conn. -- Chris Thomas continues to dominate the Pat Griskus Olympic Triathlon. The Easton resident and Southport business owner won his fifth straight race in Middlebury on Saturday, cruising to victory by over a two-minute margin.
Thomas, 39, finished in 1:46.09. The course consists of a 1-mile swim, 25-mile bike ride and 6.2-mile run. Thomas' best leg was the bike,, where he ranked first. He was second in the 10k with a time of 34:45. He ranked 17th on the swim.
"I had some sighting issues in the fog on the swim, but everyone had similar issues,'' Thomas said. "I tried to really push the bike this year, because I had a small injury with my left calf. So I knew I needed a good cushion on the run. Once I got out onto the run, I just tried to settle in. I saw I had a decent gap on the field after the run turnaround, so I was able to pull it back a bit for the remainder of the run. This is such a great event. It is very well run and a very challenging course."
The field attracts some of the top triathletes from New England, making Thomas' dominance even more noteworthy "I try to give my best every race, and if it is good enough to win, that's great. If it is not, I'm okay with that as well,'' he said. "I just want to give my best effort and have fun. It is such a privilege to be able to participate in this sport."
Several other athletes from Fairfield County also fared well. Greenwich's Robert Dahl won the 55-59 age group. In the women's 50-59 division, Riverside's Reenie Parker won followed by Pascale Butcher of Southport and Greenwich's Karen Newman. Fairfield's Kim Driscoll finished sixth.
Easton residents Laurie Hollander (fifth, women 45-49) and Ian Ray (fourth, 45-49) were in the top five in their age group. Fairfield's Don Gustavson finished fifth in the 35-39 age group. Wilton's Gabrielle Delisi took fourth in the women's 20-24 age group. Complete results are available online.
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