Don Norman (runner)

Don Norman (born 21 October 1958) is an American middle-distance and long-distance running athlete who was a winner or top finisher in multiple US marathons.[1]

Career

Notable races

He was the 1985 winner of Grandma's Marathon from Two Harbors, Minnesota to Duluth when he ran the second-fastest time of an American that year: 2:11:08.[2][3][4]

A few months later, with a sponsorship from New Balance, he ran the New York Marathon, he battled with Orlando Pizzolato, Hussein Ahmed Salah and Pat Petersen to finish fourth, netting the 27-year-old $15,000 in prize winnings.[5]

In 1985, he was fourth in the Sydney Marathon in Australia. He also finished second in the Old Kent River Bank Run 25K with a 1:18:18. Norman was also the winner of the Charlotte Observer Marathon (1984), the Charleston Distance Run (1986, beating out Bill Rodgers, and 1988),[6] and the Johnstown Marathon (1999) in Pennsylvania.

Norman ran the Olympic Trials Marathon in 1988. He had run the previous trials race (in 1984), but had dropped out.[7] In his return to the trials, he stayed in, kept with the leaders, and finished sixth.[8] The same year, he was a top finisher at the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run.

Advocacy for the Pittsburgh Marathon

After several top finishes at the Pittsburgh Marathon, Norman, a native Pennsylvanian, was dismayed to see the race fall on hard times and disappear. In the late 2000s he helped lead a group of organizers and who brought the race back to life.[9]

References

  1. ^ "Don Norman". Monaco: World Athletics. 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  2. ^ "Marathon to Norman". New York Times. New York, New York. 16 June 1985. p. 5.
  3. ^ "Records: 1985 US Bests—Men". Sports. The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, California. 7 December 1985. p. 8.
  4. ^ Concannon, Joe (18 July 1985). "Bickford helps restore US Image". Sports. The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts.
  5. ^ "So What's New? New York Marathon Champs Repeat". Sports. The Chicago Times. Chicago, Illinois. 28 October 1985. p. 6.
  6. ^ Wells, Danny (17 August 2003). "Rodgers Still Remembers Charleston's Race of '74". Sports. The Gazette-Mail. Charleston, West Virginia.
  7. ^ Holbreich, Curt (3 July 1985). "Marathon Man: Republic's Norman a hot item". Sports. The Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. p. D1.
  8. ^ Burfoot, Amby (24 September 2007). "Complete History of the Men's Trials and Olympic Marathons". Runner’s World. Easton, Pennsylvania: Hearst. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  9. ^ Axelrod, Phil (20 May 2008). "Organizers Hope To Restore Past Prestige". Sports. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.