Robert DeSisto at Nationals

Less than a year ago, Robert DeSisto chose to run on the Stony Brook Middle School cross-country team in Westford because it was the only fall sport offered to sixth-graders. He ran, basically, to get in shape for the basketball and baseball seasons.

But a funny thing happened to the 12-year-old DeSisto while traversing the woods of Westford and consistently beating everyone else to the finish line. He discovered he had speed and endurance and loved the high that came with breaking the tape.

Now he's taken his act to the regional and national stages and, although he discovered he wasn't the only one in the country with speed and endurance, he has done quite well and raised a few eyebrows along the way.

Last weekend in the Midget Boys 1,500 meters at the National Junior Olympics in Omaha, DeSisto finished second in his heat (4:56.7) and ninth overall, proving to himself that he could hold his own against the nation's best. At the same time, he said, it showed him "just how much harder I have to train if I want to continue competing at this level."

DeSisto punched his ticket to the Junior Olympics by winning the USA Track & Field Regional Championship in New York by less than half a second. His time of 5:09.12 was good for his age group, and the region, but he knew he'd have to do better to compete at the national level. His goal: below five minutes, and he received his first chance at the AAU Club Championships at Disney's World of Sports Complex in Orlando.

"I was thinking if I did five minutes or under, I would do very well," said DeSisto. "I just had no idea how good the other kids were. I learned the hard way. All the kids that beat me were from the South, and they were consistently under five minutes. It was a fast-paced race. I met my goal of going under five minutes (4:53.82) but finished seventh."

DeSisto warmed up for his taste of national competition by winning the AAU New England District at Thayer Academy in 5:28 and the USATF New England Junior Olympic Championships at Fitchburg State in 5:04.8.

"My times have gotten consistently better," said DeSisto, "but there is room for improvement. I hope to get down to 4:50 over the next year before I move up in class. Then I'll set new goals for myself. I do hope to be an All-America in my age group. Competing in Omaha was just an amazing experience. Marching into the stadium with thousands in the stands was something I'll never forget."

To help prevent burnout, DeSisto's father, Robert Sr., has set up a training program that limits the younger DeSisto to no more than 5 miles in any one workout. Robert Sr. ran the 200 and 400 at the University of Pennsylvania in the early 1980s and sought the advice of former teammates who ran longer distances.

"They told me the big thing was to not overwork him," said the elder DeSisto, "not to put more miles on him than he can handle. I am absolutely concerned about him burning out. That's why we have made it a point that he play other sports as well and limit him to only the 1,500 meters in competition. We've seen others run the 800, 1,500, and 3,000 all in the same meet. That's crazy.

"He doesn't have to be asked to practice," his father said. "He wants to do it."