TRIATHLON : McCarthy Leads All the Way at Pasadena

Despite being hampered by flu, Garrett McCarthy of Redondo Beach led the Norman Chandler Challenge Triathlon from start to finish Sunday in Pasadena.

McCarthy, 26, finished the three-mile run, 10-mile bike ride and 400-meter swim in 43 minutes and 59 seconds.

McCarthy is a former USC swimmer and member of the U.S. 1989 triathlon team that won a gold medal in France. He also represented Ireland, his native country, at last year’s world championships in Orlando, Fla.

“This is the hardest way to do a triathlon, with the swimming at the end,” said McCarthy, a sales-marketing director. “When you do lots of running and biking, it’s hard to stretch for swimming and it’s hard to extend.’

Erik Burgan, 16, a swimmer and water polo player at Carlsbad High, placed second in the field of 200. Burgan finished in 44:08; Christopher Ray of Topanga was third in 45:46.

Mari Holden of Ventura was the first female finisher at 49:34 and Candice Kutrosky was second at 50:06. Caltech’s relay team of Chris Campo, Amber Garza and Sugi Sorenen placed first (46:57) in a field of 27.

Ed Rubin, 72, of Santa Monica was the last competitor to finish. He was timed in 1:40:40.

The race started with a run in the hills surrounding the Rose Bowl, followed by a bike ride around the stadium and a swim in one of the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center pools. The center, which opened last June, has two 50-meter pools and a diving tower.