Born in Washington State, Norman Bright (1910–1996) studied at the Bellingham Normal School (now Western Washington University), where he earned his teaching credentials. He attended Stanford University,
where he received a bachelor’s in education in 1936. While at Stanford, he joined the track and field team and attracted the attention of OC Hall of Famer (and then Stanford
coach), Dink Templeton, who pushed him to join the Club. Competing wearing the Winged “O,” Bright found immense success.
In 1935, during the AAU National meet, he set the American outdoor record for the two-mile run, with a time of 9:13. That same year, he was part of a team to set the world’s 2-mile relay record – he ran the mile portion of the relay in 4 minutes and 15 seconds He attended the 1936 Olympic Trials, but injuries slowed him down and he finished fourth in the 5000m, failing to qualify. The next year, he came back stronger than before. He set another American record when he ran the 5000m in 14:45 at the 1937 AAU National Championships held in Madison Square Garden. He set another record at the 1937 Bay to Breakers, with a time of 39:52 — the first sub-40 time in the event’s history. The record would stand for 27 years.
But it was in the Dipsea Race where he would make his name. Bright set the course record for the Dipsea in 1937, with a time of 47:22; he finished second due to the event’s handicapping system.
An avid mountaineer, he went on many expeditions and served in the Mountain Rescue division of the army during World War II. After the war, he continued his career in teaching and counseling, but he never left running behind, even as he began to lose his sight in the 1960s. He ran the Dipsea again in 1970, when he was 60 years old, finally winning. However, his record time from 1937, which had stood for 33 years, was finally beaten by two runners in that same race. The “Norman Bright Award” is now given at the Dipsea for “Extraordinary Effort in the Dipsea Race.”
Late into his life, he continued to
run with the help of guides and encouraged all seniors to run. Bright is in the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame and was one of the first inductees into the Dipsea Hall of Fame.
