Thomas, who owns Personal Training Professionals in Southport, finished the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run in 9:21:59. He finished 85th overall, his second best finish ever in the event.
Thomas was the second American. Ritch Viola of California won the age group in 9:09:51. Thomas ran the final marathon leg in 3:07:59, his best time in the distance in an Ironman event.
“This was the first year that I was able to run the entire marathon without walking any aid stations. I felt pretty good for the first 13 miles then I went through a tough patch until mile 19. My energy levels really dipped during this stretch and I only focused on my cadence in an attempt to keep moving forward at a decent pace,’’ Thomas wrote on his blog.
Thomas said he had a decent swim, but incurred two penalties in the first 10 miles on the ride that cost him significant time. The athletes also endured difficult headwinds on the bike.
"My thought process had this progression: anger at the referees for making two very bad calls at the beginning of the race, then the feeling that my race was over, finalized by realizing that it is a very long day and anything can happen. The bike segment was the usual roller coaster of emotions,’’ Thomas said.
Complete results from the event are online.
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