SALISBURY — This past Saturday morning Vermont Sun Fitness Centers kicked off its summer triathlon series for the 32nd season.
Despite steady rain, two races were held at Branbury State Park on Lake Dunmore: The Vermont Sun Triathlon, a 600-yard swim, a 14-mile bike ride, and a 3.1-mile run; and the Lake Dunmore Triathlon, an Olympic-distance event with a 1,600-yard swim, 28-mile bike ride, and 6.2 mile-run.
On the men’s side in the Olympic race, Eric Cochran, 36, of Grand Isle won the swimming and biking legs to take a commanding lead on the way to winning the race in 2:21.30 over second-place finisher Carl Regenauer, 52, of Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Regenauer had the fastest run of the day and second-best bike to finish in 2:24.18. Charles Lester, 35, also of Saratoga Springs, was third in 2:30.11.
The two oldest athletes in the race, competing in the 60-64 age group, finished fourth and fifth overall. Middlebury’s Steve Hare held off Jeff Reed of Norwich to take fourth in 2:35.00, with Reed fifth in 2:35.27. 
On the women’s side, Jodie Casarico, 42, of Shelburne was first in 2:41.41, 1:42 ahead of runner-up Lauren Waterman, 39, of Keene, N.H., in 2:43.23. Waterman led by nearly seven minutes after the swim, but Casarico caught her in the bike race and then made a quicker transition to the run, and Waterman couldn’t make that time up on the last leg.
Among local finishers, in the men’s 30-35 age group New Haven’s Kyle Flack, a 240-pound former all-state lineman for the Mount Abraham Union High School football team, was second in 2:40.16. Two Middlebury men claimed third and sixth in the group: Daniel Norwood was third in 2:44.36, while Joseph Powers claimed seventh in 2:52.31. Brandon’s Doug Robinson, 60, won the 60-64 group (Reed and Hare, pulled out of age-group results) in 2:58.46.
SHORTER RACE RESULTS
Eric Florio, 30, of East Williston, N.Y., won the men’s Vermont Sun Triathlon in 1:01.22. He was 3:28 ahead of runner up Sean Flemming, 34, of Charlotte. Florio was second to exit Lake Dunmore, but powered to the day’s fastest bike and run times to cruise to victory.
Julia Schofield of Charlotte was the 11th woman out of the water, but she was fastest on the bike by 4:20 and on the run by 1:01 to roll to a comfortable win in 1:10.22. Sara Lombardi had the second-fastest bike and run and finished second in 1:16.07. Fifty-two-year-old cancer survivor Karen Newman of South Burlington was third in 1:18.40.
Among local residents, Jeff Schuman of Salisbury won the 60-64-year-old men’s group in 1:11.36. Four Bristol women had excellent results. In the 35-39 group Mara Urban was first in 1:21.35, and Annie Rossier was second in 1:22.08. In the 60-64 group Wendie Puls claimed first in 1:35.32, and Andrea Halnon was third in 1:51.59.
Complete results and information are available at vermontsun.com or at 388-3060.
The next event in the series is the second Vermont Sun Triathlon on Sunday, July 16. On Sunday, Aug. 13, both triathlons will be held for the final of the season. Vermont Sun will also hold it’s annual half-marathon run on Sunday, Sept. 24.