Norman Bright
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Norman Bright (January 29, 1910 – August 29, 1996) was an American runner, mountaineer, and teacher. Bright once held the American record in the
two-mile run The 2 mile (10,560 feet or 3,218.688 metres) is a historic running distance. Like the mile run, it is still contested at some invitational meets due its historical chronology in the United States and United Kingdom. It has been larg ...
.


Biography

Bright was the son of a school principal and a teacher. Born in
Mossyrock, Washington Mossyrock is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 768 at the 2020 census. History The city began as a trading post named Mossy Rock in 1852, after a high moss-covered rock at the east end of Klickitat Prairie ...
, he was one of eleven children. Bright's mother reportedly rubbed
olive oil Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: f ...
into his legs as an infant when she was told by a doctor that her son was not "moving and working his muscles enough". Bright attended Western Washington University where he earned a teaching degree,
Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
where he earned a bachelor's degree, and Miami University where he earned a master's degree in counseling. During World War II, Bright served in the United States Army. He was initially rejected due to a
slow pulse Bradycardia (also sinus bradycardia) is a slow resting heart rate, commonly under 60 beats per minute (BPM) as determined by an electrocardiogram. It is considered to be a normal heart rate during sleep, in young and healthy or elderly adults, a ...
, however, he went to another enlistment center after running three miles to raise his heart rate. In 1945, Bright married Franca Fiorentino whom he had met in New York City. The couple had one daughter, and later divorced. Bright moved to Seattle in 1966 and worked for the Seattle School District as a
psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...
. Bright participated in the
Olympic trials Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...
in 1936, but failed to qualify, finishing fifth in the 5,000 m after twisting an ankle and collapsing in the 100 degree temperatures that had a third of the field unable to finish the race. He was the winner of the 1937
Bay to Breakers Bay to Breakers is an annual footrace in San Francisco, California typically on the third Sunday of May. The phrase "Bay to Breakers" reflects the fact that the race starts at the northeast end of the downtown area a few blocks from The Embarc ...
, setting the course record as the first man to run under 40 minutes. That same year, he set a course record of 47:22 at the Dipsea Race, but finished second due to the impairing nature of the event. Thirty-three years later in 1970, he won the event. The Norman Bright Award is given for "Extraordinary Effort in the Dipsea". In the mid-1960s, Bright began to slowly lose his eyesight due to atrophy of the optic nerves. In 1978, he was struck by a bus, breaking numerous bones; his vision faded rapidly after that. He needed a "guide," to keep him on course. Rules have been developed to ensure blind athletes do not gain an advantage when led in a race. In 1975 he set the M65 World record over 800 m and 1500 m distances while winning at the first Association of Veteran Athletes (WAVA) World Championships in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was the first 65-year-old under 5 minutes in the 1500 m. He also won the
steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...
at the same meet. In 1976 he ran the
Bay to Breakers Bay to Breakers is an annual footrace in San Francisco, California typically on the third Sunday of May. The phrase "Bay to Breakers" reflects the fact that the race starts at the northeast end of the downtown area a few blocks from The Embarc ...
with the guide (39 years after his victory in the event). Later that year he set the M65 American record in the 10,000 m that still stands. Bright was also a mountaineer reported to have climbed every major peak in the United States. Bright is mentioned in Laura Hillenbrand's best-selling biography about
Louis Zamperini Louis Silvie Zamperini (January 26, 1917 – July 2, 2014) was an American World War II veteran and an Olympic distance runner. He took up running in high school and qualified for the United States in the 5,000 m race for the 1936 Ber ...
, '' Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption''. Bright appeared on the cover of ''
Runners World ''Runner's World'' is a globally circulated monthly magazine for runners of all skills sets, published by Hearst in Easton, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Before its acquisition by Hearst, it was founded and published by Rodale, Inc. in E ...
'' in September 1974, running a
steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...
at the age of 64 and nearly blind. Bright was a member of San Francisco's
Olympic Club The Olympic Club is an sports club, athletic club and private social club in San Francisco, San Francisco, California. First named the "San Francisco Olympic Club", it is the oldest sports club, athletic club in the United States. Established o ...
. In 2000 he was elected into the
USATF Masters Hall of Fame The USATF Masters Hall of Fame is the Masters section of the National Track and Field Hall of Fame. It is intended to select worthy athletes from the various divisions of Masters athletics involved in the sports of track and field, road running an ...
. Bright died in Seattle due to complications from pneumonia and cancer.


References


Bibliography

* Olson, Leonard T., ''Masters Track and Field: A History'', McFarland & Co., North Carolina, 2001. * Two Mile Record, 1935, 9m13.2s: * * Wood, Michael & Coombs, Colby, ''Alaska: A Climbing Guide'', The Mountaineers Books, 2001. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bright, Norman 1910 births 1996 deaths American male middle-distance runners American male steeplechase runners Miami University alumni People from Lewis County, Washington Mountain climbers from Seattle Sportspeople with a vision impairment Stanford University alumni United States Army personnel of World War II Western Washington University alumni American masters athletes 20th-century American psychologists Deaths from pneumonia in Washington (state) 20th-century American educators Track and field athletes from Seattle