Growing up in Alaska, David Norris was built for mountain running. 

The 34-year-old resident of Steamboat Springs and Alpine Bank employee has won Alaska’s Mount Marathon race five times, and is the record holder; has taken top-25 in the Mont-Blanc OCC; and took silver in the 50-kilometer Nakawé race in Mexico — among many other accolades. 

On Sunday, Norris furthered his resume after competing in his first mountain running national championship, winning the event and qualifying for the U.S. world championship team. 

The USA Track and Field Mountain Running Championships were held over the weekend at Mount Sunapee in Newbury, New Hampshire. Norris competed in the classic race, taking runners two laps up and down the mountain for a total of 8.2 miles and 3,400 feet of elevation gain and descent. 

Norris initially signed up for the race because of its similarities to races he had run previously in Alaska. He wanted to see where he would stack up against the nation’s best. 

“I didn’t know if I was going to be fighting for 15th place, fifth place or the win,” Norris said. 

Some 167 men lined up at the start line and Norris said the pace at the start was quick. He estimated he was between 15th and 20th in the first five minutes of the ascent up the mountain and by the 10-minute mark he was losing confidence that he could keep up with the leaders. 

Norris was roughly in 10th place at the mountain’s summit, knowing he could catch up to those ahead on the first descent. It had rained quite a bit leading up to the race and the trail was slick and muddy with tons of roots and rocks sticking out. 

Norris is no stranger to those elements and closed the gap between himself and the leaders. The second lap began with an uphill on single track and rocky terrain. Runners used their hands to push off big boulders to keep steady on the steep incline. 

“I think growing up in Alaska, I was really comfortable running through that stuff and didn’t have to think about where I’m planting my feet and I just scramble through it,” Norris explained. “It gave me a lot of hope as soon as we hit that terrain because I started catching guys who were 30 seconds ahead of me before we hit that trail.” 

Norris went from seventh place at the base and was in second by the summit, just five seconds back from the leader. Norris overtook the leader in the upper-third of the descent and only learned he was the leader because a spectator shouted the information at him. 

The nerves ran high for Norris as he completed the final mile of the race. Downhill portions are not nearly as aerobic so he managed to catch his breath, but it is much harder on the muscles. 

“You feel like you’re sprinting all-out but you’re not winded like you would be on an uphill,” he explained. 

Norris said he thrives in head-to-head competition and with the second-place runner just steps behind, Norris crossed the finish line in 1 hour, 9 minutes and 55 seconds. He was five seconds ahead of Mason Coppi from Lakewood. The top five male finishers were all from Colorado. 

The victory means Norris has qualified to join the U.S. Team at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Canfranc-Pirineos, Spain at the end of September. He will be joined by the other top four runners from Sunday’s race. 

In the meantime, Norris will continue to train in Steamboat Springs and plans to tackle the UTMB Mont-Blanc OCC race in France in August, which should be a great pairing with the World Champs. 

Norris said he needs to get better at his flat terrain speed but is looking forward to representing America in a world championship event.