One of the most physically challenging events in the Olympic Games is the 1,500-meters in swimming. No wait, it may very well be cycling's time trials. Well, you would also have to consider the 10,000-meters in track & field. Now, how about doing nearly the equivalent of all three in succession! That's triathlon, the sport of choice for one of the United States' up-and-comers, Susie Stark, and she's "Up Next" in this grueling sport.

We know to have the goal of becoming one of the few and the proud, to be called an Olympian, takes a tremendous amount of hard work and determination. For Stark, one of the training grounds for her dedication involves instruction as one of The Few and The Proud in the U.S. Marine Corps.

"Being a Marine has taught me so much about myself," says Stark. "If I ever had any doubts about my ability to get something done in the past, becoming a Marine has erased them all. The challenges I've faced as a Marine are the things that help me the most in my pursuit to become an Olympian."

A Buckeye State native, Stark began her elite-level pursuit in the swimming pools of Hudson, Ohio. She is a graduate of South Carolina University, where she competed on the school's swim team. Heading to the Gamecock campus, she had two main goals for her swim career, make it to the NCAA Championships and to the Senior Nationals, both of which she achieved. So how did this triathlon gig come about?

"As a Marine I knew I wanted to continue in athletics, so I competed in the Military Games as a swimmer in the summer of 1999. It was there I saw my first triathlon, and I said to myself 'that's what I want to do!'"

And doing it she is. Stark's seriousness about becoming a world-class triathlete came in 2001 when she opened a lot of eyes by finishing first among amateur athletes at the St. Anthony's Triathlon in St. Petersburg, Fla., and fifth at the Military World Championships. Now classified as an elite-level athlete and training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Stark is gaining ground on competitors with every race. As an elite, she has placed as high as sixth at the International Triathlon Union points race in Guaratuba, Brazil, and finished 11th at the Mrs. T's Triathlon in Chicago.

Firmly focused on making the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team, Stark did make one exception that veered her away from the strict training regimen for a few days; she was married in May to fellow serviceman John Gallucci. So when you see the name Susie Gallucci on the leader boards down the road, remember, that's the same Marine that began her elite-level career as Susie Stark.