More than 40 athletes from around Wyoming and Montana and as far as Oregon and Colorado made their way to Powell on Aug. 24 for the Sugar Beet Classic Triathlon and 5K.

“It was so great to have so many people come participate in the Sugar Beet Classic,” event organizer Heather Christensen said. “This is by far the most participants we have had since I have been coordinating it. I was very excited to have so many athletes come out.”

Athletes participating in the event ranged from age 11 all the way up to 66 years old for the triathlon, which began at the Powell Aquatic Center.

The event saw athletes swim in the PAC for 500 yards, followed by a 15-mile bike ride on the outskirts of Powell and then a 5K run to complete the triathlon.

The annual event serves as a fundraiser for the Powell Piranhas Swim Club, but also helps fund different projects and equipment that is shared between the swim club and the school programs in Powell.

“This is one of our biggest fundraisers for the club, so it is super important,” Christensen said. “The money doesn’t only help the club but it is also used to update our Hall of Fame board. The money also helps pay for new equipment which is shared with our school swim teams, so it helps out all of our swim programs.”

Powell’s Kinley Bollinger, 21, was the overall top finisher. She raced her way to a time of 1 hour, 9 minutes, 9.6 seconds to finish at the top for both men and women.

Just behind her in second place was Powell’s Ladell Merritt, as the 51-year-old pushed his way to a time of 1:12:55.0.

Laurel’s Daniel Lavy, 27, rounded out the top three with a time of 1:13:05.1.

In the 5K race, 38-year-old Trent Kling of Colorado Springs, Colorado, raced his way to a 20:19.5 finish.

Just behind in second was Powell’s Kara Sanders, 13, who finished in 22:02.7. Powell’s Jackie Onstead, 43, finished third in 25:52.6. Just a second behind her was Cody’s Samuel Holm, 41, in 25:53.6.

There was also a team competition in the triathlon, as three teams battled each other with one competitor completing each portion of the race.

The winning team was the Speed Seekers, composed of Addy Powell, Bob Smartt and Jimmy Powell who finished in 1:12:09.5.

Second place went to the Quads of Fury, as Christy Larsen, Kassi Ashby and Nick Coy finished in 1:19:36.7.

Rounding out the team results was the Pacers, made up of Bridget Williams, Jake Williams and Molly Zeller who finished in 1:19.44.

“This is our second year using the timing system which gives us more accurate times,” Christensen said. “I know that the more competitive athletes like that. We also offer a rent-a-swimmer option, where someone can pay an extra fee to have one of our club swimmers do the swimming portion of the triathlon. This is a great option for someone who has never done a triathlon and is nervous about the swim portion.”

She said that they plan to advertise the event better in the future while also making it fun for athletes new and old.

“We haven’t done a great job at advertising this, but plan to do so in the future,” Christensen said. “We want it to be a fun event for everyone from the seasoned athletes to the new athletes.”

SUGAR BEET CLASSIC

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS 

Age and sex in ()

1. Kinley Bollinger (21F) 1:09:09.6; 2. Ladell Merritt (51M) 1:12:55.0; 3. Daniel Lavy (27M) 1:13:05.1; 4. Wouter Hugo (33) 1:22:00.5; 5. Kinley Cooley (18F) 1:24:52.6; 6. Korbyn Warren (17M) 1:25:06.7; 7. Melissa Merritt (16F) 1:25:47.9; 8. Kelly Reynolds (46F) 1:26:11.6; 9. Asher Renshaw (14M) 1:26:19.4; 10. Nelson Kohlbus (17M) 1:30:28.4; 11. Drew McMillan (30M) 1:32:55.9; 12. Greg Hirst (38M) 1:33:46.5; 13. Collin Kifer (21M) 1:35:51.1; 14. Tobyn Jordan (11M) 1:36:54.8; 15. Kenna Jacobsen (17F) 1:38:25.6; 16. Margaret McAtee (66F) 1:38:26.1; 17. Tyler Kruger (14M) 1:41:05.1; 18. Nolan Tschirgi (19M) 1:44:00.0; 19. Lynea Christensen (13F) 1:50:21.4; 20. Jessica Potter (32F) 1:55:59.8; 21. Carter Kruger (12M) 1:56:29.0; 22. Alana Wetsch (36F) 1:57:38.2; 23. Karen Gates (59F) 2:04:46.4; 24. Janis Langohr (63F) 2:10:24

5K RESULTS

1. Trent Kling (38M) 20:19.5; 2. Kara Sanders (13F) 22:02.7; 3. Jackie Onstead (43F) 25:52.6; 4. Samuel Holm (41F) 25:53.6

TEAM RESULTS

1. Speed Seekers — Addy Powell, Bob Smartt and Jimmy Powell 1:12:09.5; 2. Quads of Fury — Christy Larsen, Kassi Ashby and Nick Coy 1:19:36.7; 3. Pacers — Bridget Williams, Jake Williams and Molly Zeller 1:19:44.7