Dustin Norris was a competitor.
“We ran a race together, the Liberty Mile in Pittsburgh,” said Norris’ partner, Megan Nelson of Export. “I run a seven-minute mile, but we started the race and all of a sudden I realized I was about to die, he was running so fast. He finished in 6 minutes and 11 seconds, fifth in his age group, and that was straight off the couch with no training.”
When Nelson yelled at him for “running all-out like that, he just looked and me and said, ‘You told me it was a competition,’” she said.
Norris lost his life in a September 2020 motorcycle crash, and Nelson organized a memorial race that will take place April 24 in Norris’ hometown of Export.
“Dustin and I had been coordinating races for the past three years, and he was organizing what will be the fourth one this fall,” Nelson said.
In his youth, Norris wrestled and played basketball, golf, hockey and football, in addition to singing and playing drums, guitar and piano.
His favorite number was 42, and so the Dustin Norris Memorial Race will technically be a 4.2K, instead of a 5K.
“We’ll start at the Export caboose, and run straight down the Westmoreland Heritage Trail across Van Buren and down to Toona Supply’s parking lot, where we’ll turn around and head back,” Nelson said.
All of the 4’s and 2’s in the date were also part of the reason Nelson chose it.
The race will be organized by the East Suburban Trailblazers, a program coordinated through East Suburban Citizen Advocacy, which provides advocacy and opportunities for people with developmental disabilities.
Registration is $25, and there will be a staggered start at 9 and 10 a.m., with a limit of 50 runners per group. There will not be opening or closing ceremonies to mitigate the potential spread of covid-19.
Nelson said Norris’ family plans to use the proceeds to help establish a scholarship in Dustin’s memory.
“He always advocated in our community for kids with disabilities,” said Nelson, who is the elementary emotional support teacher for the Norwin School District. “He just really enjoyed helping and being a part of what I was doing. When he offered to help organize the first race, he said, ‘Megan, I have a feeling we’re going to be doing this every year.’”
To sign up, see RunSignUp.com, click the orange “Find a Race” button and type “Dustin Norris” into the “Race Name” field.
