"I couldn't believe it," Hancock commented on the sheer number of people competing. "After the swim, I had to run half of a mile to just to get through all of the people to my bike."

Despite the intimidating numbers, he placed 12th overall in his age bracket. Out of the New England participants he ranked second.

Hancock also found that his skill in biking and running provided him an excellent advantage in another variation of the "iron-man" sport--the duathlon.

In this event, running and biking exclusively, Hancock qualified for the national team. In a world class race held in Italy, he placed 36th in the world and was the third U.S. finisher--an impressive performance to say the least.

After such strong showings, Hancock was invited to spend last spring in Colorado to test how far his talent could take him.

"It was really gratifying racing against some of the best in the world," said Hancock. "They really give you a lot of respect."

Training in Colorado, he managed to qualify as the first alternate for the U.S. Olympic training team.

As the fourth place qualifier, Hancock could be called on to train with the team in San Diego full time.

The opportunity certainly would be flattering, he admits, but he feels it most advantageous to be back at Harvard continuing in his academic pursuits.

As an economics concentrator, a career in business could be a possible occupation, but after graduation he envisions committing himself to the sport for at least a couple of years.

Hancock surprisingly calls himself "laid back," but humbly admits that his competitiveness drives him to success in this demanding sport.

"If you can see him...you know you can catch the guy in front of you," he said. "Or, if you are in front, the worst thing in the world is to get caught."

In the year 2000, the triathlon will become an official gold medal sport. Don't be surprised to find yourself cheering on Russ Hancock as he swims, pedals and runs the U.S.A. to gold.