Skeete's going the distance for Westbury

Distance running has always been considered a long shot at Westbury High School, at least until Owen Skeete made his first appearance in a Green Dragons uniform.

The senior owns just about every distance mark on Westbury's books.

Though he didn't set another Westbury mark at the Nassau Class A championships last week, he continued to dominate with first-place finishes in the 1,600-meter run in 4 minutes, 29.6 seconds and the 3,200 in 9:25.49.

He nearly pulled off what most consider the most difficult triple as he took second in the 1,000 at the event. Skeete pulled off the triple at the Class B indoor championships last year.

Skeete placed sixth at the NYS Federation cross country championships last November, the highest finish of any Long Island runner. He was the only Westbury runner to ever qualify for the race, Westbury coach Donald Ross said.

But the accomplishments, the records and the accolades aren't things that Skeete takes a lot of time to dwell on.

"I just try to block it out of my head," Skeete said of his success. "I don't like thinking about stuff like that before or even after races."

Skeete may be modest, but Ross has no problems talking about his best runner's talents.

"He's done a lot for the school," Ross said. "I have no complaints."

It isn't just the numbers that make Skeete standout. His running style is unique.

Unlike other distance runners who begin their races at a steady pace, Skeete likes to bolt out to a big lead.

He struggled to maintain those big leads early in his career due in part to his running style.

"I used to run bad with my arms and legs way up when I was a freshman," Skeete said. "That didn't work well when I got boxed in. But I straightened out since then."

These days, once he gets a head of steam, he's difficult to run down.

"Some people think its crazy, some think it is stupid and some adore it," Skeete said. "But it doesn't really matter to me what people think about. It is what helps me win."

Although is not a style Ross would teach a runner, Skeete said his coach has accepted it.

"Coach didn't try to change me," Skeete said. "But he said to make sure you committed to running like that. When you get that big lead, you can't slow down."

The challenges Skeete faces at track meets almost pale in comparison to what he deals with at practice.

He's Westbury's only distance runner, so he spends most of his time running by himself.

Other runners have the benefit of training with teammates who push them for better times.

"It was tough at first, but I got used to it," Skeete said. "My motivation comes from my parents and my coach, because, they're usually screaming at me for different reasons . . . 'You didn't start fast enough, your form is off'," Skeete joked.

Skeete, who's currently sorting through college destinations, has yet to decide on his future. His legacy has already been established.

"I hope to see more people doing distance races here," he said. "Even if I come back in 10 years and see someone trying I'd be happy."