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The race, part of the Ironman series, consists of a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride and 13.1-mile run. Thomas finished in 4:05.43. The victory against amateur rivals also earned a berth for Thomas in the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii in October.
Thomas, 42, is the owner of Personal Training Professionals in Southport.
Thomas had to come from behind, running a 1:20.03 half-marathon on the final leg of the race to overtake Charles Perreault of Canada. Thomas was nearly three minutes behind Perreault after the swim and trailed by 1:40 minutes after the bike ride. Perreault ran 1:23:14 in the final leg and finished 1:34 behind Thomas.
Thomas finished fourth among amateurs in last year’s Eagleman race and third in 2012. He has won his age division three consecutive years.
The next race will be a quick turnaround for Thomas, who will race Saturday in the Pat Griskus Olympic distance triathlon in Middlebury. Thomas is the seven-time defending champion of the race. He will also race in a 70.3-mile race on June 22 in Syracuse, N.Y.
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