Two years and nine months can be a long time.

It was long enough for Colby Otero to transform from a wrestler and swimmer into one of the state’s top cross country runners. The Kalaheo senior wasn’t just an average wrestler and swimmer, either, but we’ll never know the heights of his talent in those chapters.

Ultimately, it was yet another sport that provided Otero an inadvertent path to his sport of destiny.

“Shout out to the lacrosse coach that cut me from the team freshman year,” he said. “That led me to doing track.”

Track, naturally, led Otero to cross country. Now, the globe-trotting Mustang simply wants to get better. Even after topping the field at the Oahu Interscholastic Association East Division championships, he’s far from satisfied.

“It was pretty good, but it wasn’t my best,” he said of his 16-minute, 45-second time over the 3-mile layout at Patsy T. Mink Central Oahu Regional Park. “Competition in the East is strong this year. It’ll be good to see how we interact with the West. I think the East is a little better.”

What Otero won’t do is mention a résumé that resounds with exclamation points. Last year, he finished second in the OIA to teammate Avery Torres and took third in the HHSAA championships.

“There was a big gap between second and third, and third and fourth,” Otero said.

He also won’t mention his accomplishments this season: Winning the Kaiser Invitational against a field that included the powerful Dana Hills (Calif.) harriers. Or that he led the ‘Iolani Invitational at Kualoa Ranch until accidentally stepping into a hole that injured his ankle.

“I think he’s going to be the front-runner for sure in the OIA, but he’s remaining humble,” Kalaheo coach Peter Jay said. “At the Kaiser Invitational, he’s the only one who kept Dana Hills from sweeping the individuals. He won by a couple hundred meters. He got a lot of respect from that program.”

Respect is a precious commodity in Hawaii running circles. Some harriers are great on flat courses. Others rely on a massive kick at the finish. Others are adaptable on any terrain, in any conditions. Otero and the success of a program at one of the OIA’s smaller schools is blue collar and unity personified.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a tradition, but we like to be good role models for the younger runners on the team,” Otero said. “I like to think it’s a pretty universal thing. The way you push yourself, it’s very different from any other sport. Since we’re kind of a smaller public school, it’s multiplied by that factor. We’re definitely willing to push ourselves that extra mile.”

He grew up with a Marine father, Andrew Otero. It was in Okinawa that Colby fell in love with the ocean, enjoying snorkeling and diving spots. In North Carolina, he took to wrestling as an eighth-grader, but broke his ankle at a summer wrestling camp and spent that his fall recuperating. He wrestled that winter though the ankle was not fully healed.

“I was really passionate about that sport for awhile. Then we moved to Hawaii. My sophomore year, I went out for cross country at Kalaheo because my brother made me do it,” Otero said. “I guess I liked it, surprisingly.”

Inevitably, in the spring Otero suffered from shin splints and didn’t take up track. He views that year as a bridge of sorts.

“Being injured helped me recover and get stronger,” he said.

He ran cross country as a sophomore, and wrestled that winter.

“That was the last of it,” Otero said of wrestling. “I really liked the coach, but it was time to start focusing on running.”

The Mustangs have valued that commitment from the start.

“He’s always taken it seriously. I’ve never seen him take a day where he cruises. Every day, he works,” Jay said. “From his first day of practice, we had no idea of his abilities, but right away, he was chasing Avery.”

His interest in multiple sports might be part of the reason why Otero embraces new ideas. He drinks protein shakes regularly.

“After a workout, I’m not going to eat a bag of gummy bears. I get a lot of carbs, but I’m the only distance runner who drinks protein shakes,” he said. “It really helps with muscle recovery. If I don’t drink the protein shakes, I’ll be sore for a little longer and it’s harder to recover.”

The biggest sacrifice for a Kalaheo harrier is personal time, even if the Mustangs don’t view that way. The night before meets, they get together for carbo-loading spaghetti dinners.

“I’ll definitely eat more than one plate,” Otero said. “We do it more for a team bonding.”