Hamish Carter of New Zealand called the Xterra World Championship at South Maui, "the meanest and most brutal."

And he was the winner.

Carter finished the nearly 27-mile, off-road triathlon in 2 hours, 42 minutes, 36 seconds yesterday.

"It was really tough, a lot tougher than I thought," said the 35-year-old from Auckland, winner of the 2004 Olympic triathlon. "At one point during the run I didn't even know if I could finish."

Carter, who rode the last mile of the bike stage with a flat, caught Olivier Marceau of France a mile before the finish. Marceau was second in 2:42:55.

Melanie McQuaid of Victoria, British Columbia, won her second consecutive and third overall women's title in 3:07:53.

Carter and McQuaid each received $25,000.

The Xterra course included a 1.5-kilometer ocean swim; a 32-kilometer bike ride on the slopes of Haleakala; and a 10-kilometer trail run. The swim also included a 150-meter beach sprint between the two laps of the triangular course.

Maui's Jeff Sanders was Hawai'i's top finisher, placing 43rd overall in 3:13:57. Honolulu's Ingrid Rolles was Hawai'i's top female finisher (12th) in 3:33:48. Honolulu's Kim Hill won the women's 25 to 29 age group in 3:50:48. Jimmy Davis, also of Honolulu, was Hawai'i's top amateur, finishing 44th overall and fourth in the 25-29 age group in 3:14:07.

MEN

Pro: 1, Hamish Carter 2:42:36. 2, Olivier Marceau 2:42:55 3, Seth Wealing 2:44:05 4, Josiah Middaugh 2:45:51 5, Eneko Llanos 2:46:49. Hawai'i pro finishers: 27, Jeff Sanders 3:13:57. 35, Chad Seymour 3:22.17. Age-group winners—15-19: 1, Kyle Kennedy 3:33:37. 20-24: 1, Rom Akerson 2:57:43. 25-29: 1, Trevor Glavin 3:11:38. 30-34: 1, Conrad Snover 3:01:50. 35-39: 1, Calvin Zaryski 3:04:51. 40-44: 1, Tim Johnston 3:11:10. 45-49: 1, Tom Lyons 3:14:24. 50-54: 1, Ian Davidson Jr 3:22:59. 55-59: 1, Kent Robison 3:38:47. 60-64: 1, Peter Wood 3:59:46. 65 & Over: 1, John Stover 4:51:22. Challenged: 1, Fouad Fattoumy 4:07:40.

WOMEN

Pro: 1, Melanie McQuaid 3:07:53. 2, Danelle Kabush 3:15:58. 3, Sibylle Matter 3:19:50. 4, Jennifer Smith 3:20:08. 5, Renata Bucher 3:22:14. Hawai'i pro finisher: 12, Ingrid Rolles 3:33:48. Age-group winners—15-19: 1, Valeria Curridori 4:10:50. 20-24: 1, Suzie Snyder 3:36:19. 25-29: 1, Kim Hill 3:50:48. 30-34: 1, Laura Home 3:40:35. 35-39: 1, Janice Fliegler 3:53:46. 40-44: 1, Barbara Alber 3:56:18. 45-49: 1, Catherine Dunn 3:52:50. 50-54: 1, Barbara Peterson 4:08:44. 55-59: 1, Cindi Toepel 4:25:14. 60 & Over: 1, Wendy Minor 5:53:53.

For complete results go to www.xterraplanet.com.