Stensing, Merritt among top performers{gallery}9_2_08/sugarbeet{/gallery}Competitors race away from the starting line of the 19th annual Sugar Beet Classic at Homesteader Park in Powell Saturday, Aug. 23. Tribune photo by Kara BaconRunners and cycling enthusiasts enjoyed a near picture-perfect day at the 19th annual Sugar Beet Classic in Powell Saturday, Aug. 23, and their efforts were rewarded with solid times in their respective events. Overall, about five dozen competitors participated in this year's event, and according to Jeanna Merritt, one of the event's organizers, the duathlon was an extremely popular event at this year's Classic.“We had a really good turnout, and the weather was great,” she said. “This year we had a lot more people enter the duathlon. I'm not sure why that was the case, but it was popular with the competitors.”The duathlon, which featured a pair of 5K runs and a 25K bicycle race, drew more than 40 competitors. That portion of the Classic was divided into solo and team competitions.As for placers, this year's event was highlighted by the performances of overall winners Martin Stensing (solo 5K run/25K bike/5K run), Jeanna Merritt (solo 5K run/25K bike/5K run), Stacy Slight and Nick Coy (team 5K run/25K bike/5K run), John Bernhisel (men's 5K run) and Brandy Bullinger (women's 5K run).The following are the results of each competition conducted during the 2008 Sugar Beet Classic, which was sponsored by the Powell Recreation District:

Solo 5K Run/ 25K Bike/ 5K Run• Male 20-29: 1. Kendall Horrocks, 1:37:38 (Run #1 19:01/Bike 56:21/Run #2 22:16); 2. Ben Zeller, 1:38:19 (Run #1 20:37/Bike 53:18/Run #2 24:24).• Male 30-39: 1. Martin Stensing, 1:15:27, (overall male winner, Run #1 17:45/Bike 39:41/Run #2 18:01); 2. Ladell Merritt, 1:18:07 (Run #1 18:15/Bike 39:23/Run #2 20:27); 3. Jason Hillman, 1:42:19 (Run #1 23:43/Bike 50:50/Run #2 27:46); 4. Justin Wisehart, 1:55:40 (Run #1 27:34/Bike 56:14/Run #2 31:52).• Male 50-59: 1. Jeff Rode, 1:39:31 (Run #1 22:06/Bike54:29/Run #2 22:56); 2. John Housel, 1:39:35 (Run #1 24:15/Bike 50:08/Run #2 25:12).• Male 60-69: 1. Mike Meredith, 2:01:20 (Run #1 26:11 /Bike 1:07:27 /Run #2 27:42).• Female 19 and under: 1. Megan Darrow, 2:20:19 (Run #1 29:40/Bike 1:20:31/Run #2 30:08); 2. Kristi Mingus 2:20:19 (Run #1 29:40/Bike 1:20:31/Run #2 30:08).• Female 30-39: 1. Jeanna Merritt, 1:34:14 (overall female winner, Run #1 20:37/Bike 51:12/Run #2 22:24); 2. Ashley Hildebrand, 1:47:13 (Run #1 24:32/Bike 56:00/Run #2 26:41).Team Competition 5K Run/ 25K Bike/ 5K Run• Male: 1. John Bernhisel/Mike Birdsley/Justin Ulmer, 1:33:35 (Run #1 20:27/Bike 49:26/Run #2 23:42).• Female: 1. Bethany Boydston/Amy Banks/Bethany Boydston, 1:40:43 (Run #1 24:07/Bike 52:26/Run #2 24:10); 2. Julie Sheets/Gail Fennell/Julie Sheets, 1:46:02 (Run #1 20:57/Bike 1:03:06/Run #2 21:59); 3. Marcie Hobbs/Karen Coombs/Charissa Johnston, 1:55:56 (Run #1 25:45/Bike 1:03:27/Run #2 26:44).• Mixed: 1. Stacy Slight/Nick Coy/Stacy Slight, 1:15:36 (overall team winner, Run #1 19:34/Bike 36:46/Run #2 19:16); 2. Lauren Dunleavy/James Bigelow/Jordan Bigelow, 1:34:27 (Run #1 22:38/Bike 48:31/Run #2 23:18); 3. Nan O'Neill/LeRoy Davey/Cathy McKenzie, 1:43:56 (Run #1 23:32/Bike 58:10/Run #2 22:14); 4. Jeff Buckingham/Tami Buckingham/Jeff Buckingham, 1:52:31 (Run #1 21:12/Bike 1:08:16/Run #2 23:03); 5. Dave Franks/Candi Eastman/Ike Eastman, 1:59:57 (Run #1 28:37/Bike 1:06:27/Run #2 24:03); 6. Deana O'Brien/Denise Scott/Jennifer Franks, 2:02:28 (Run #1 28:28/Bike 1:07:04/Run #2 26:56).• Family: 1. Brett Roberts/ Mike Roberts/ Paula Roberts, 1:40:34 (Run #1 25:23/Bike 46:28/Run #2 28:43).Men's 5K Run• Male 19 & under: 1. Michael Bernhisel, 20:48; 2. Landon Tolman, 22:15; 3. Garrick Tolman, 29:09.• Male 30-39: 1. Jeff Jones, 25:02; 2. Greg Smith, 27:08.• Male 40-49: 1. John Bernhisel, 20:27, overall winner; 2. Tim Jones, 25:11.• Male 50-59: 1. Tony Humphries, 26:39.Women's 5K RunFemale 19 & under: 1. Brandy Bullinger, 21:03, overall winner; 2. Chelsea Akin, 22:16; 3. Sarah Jones, 25:30; 4. Cait Sorenson, 25:56; 5. Haylee Humphries, 26:56; 6. Trista Ostrom, 32:33.Female 30-39: 1. Kara Ryf, 38:28.Female 40-49: 1. Lea Sorenson, 43:38; 2. Mechelle Rivera, 43:57.