"I am the conservative alternative," Forbes told me after Dole's withdrawal yesterday, "in what is now a three-man race."

Mr. Darcy already has the Conservative Party endorsement, setting the stage for a three-man race.

Doriano Romboni of Italy, on a Honda, won the three-man race for third place.

He came in last in his three-man semifinal race, running the distance in 23.0 seconds.

Some recent polls show Mr. Clouthier pulling down about a quarter of the vote in what is essentially a three-man race.

Mr. Clinton claimed that prize last year in a three-man race, but he did so with only 44 percent of the state's votes.

Clinton's final 8-point margin in a three-man race was, of course, huge - nearly twice the size of Truman's margin in 1948.

But most said the party now had a three-man race.

Buescher lost the lead two events later but stayed competitive in the three-man race.

Held annually in the spring, this three-man race begins at the U of R River Campus.