Brain Duffy Jr. and Bethany Handley placed first in the Best of the U.S. Series Championship on Sunday during the 2nd Annual Orange County International Triathlon in Mission Viejo.
Duffy Jr. of Westchester finished the race at 1:52:53 with Handley coming in at 2:06:53. The athletes joined about 800 other accomplished triathletes from across the country for a 1-mile swim in Lake Mission Viejo, 25-mile bike ride and 10K run. Participants came from New York, Honolulu, Scottsdale, Andover, Sioux Falls and just about every other part of the country.
The challenging event attracted spectators from Mission Viejo and beyond and ended with the athletes running under the 50 state flags to the finish line at Lake Mission Viejo.
The triathlon will help benefit the Mission Viejo Nadadores, Saddleback YMCA, local youth groups and the MS Society.
