72°
EASTON, Conn. Eastons Chris Thomas continued to raise the bar for triathlon excellence at last weeks World Ironman Championships in Hawaii.
Thomas finished fourth in the mens 40-44 age group, the first time he has reached the podium (top five) in the worlds most demanding endurance test. He finished 85th overall in a field of more than 2,000 of the best endurance athletes in the world, including professionals.
Thomas finished the 140.6-mile race (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, 26.2-mile run) in 9:25.3. He ran a 3:08:39 marathon to finish the race, an average of 7:12 per mile. His final 1.2 miles were at 5:12 mile pace.
Thomas was the first U.S. athlete in his age group and the 17th American overall. He endured several bad breaks that prevented an even better finish, including a four-minute penalty for drafting on the bike and cramps in his hamstrings at the end of the ride when he served his penalty.
It must have been a comical sight to see me trying to sit with both legs completely straight out in spasms, Thomas said. Several other athletes came into the tent as I was heading out. Apparently the officials were extremely busy on the day and I heard they had a big impact on the professional womens race as well.
Readers can find Thomas complete race recap on his blog.
The race was the sixth world championship event for Thomas. He won the KIC It Triathlon in Stamford in June, along with several other marquee competitions around the region. He also won his age group at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in September in Nevada.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Westport and receive free news updates.
