 He joined Leigh Harriers and then Bolton Harriers, training on the streets of Tyldesley in the early mornings before working 900 feet underground and running another eight to ten miles in the evenings.Norris was seventh behind Zatopek in the 10,000 metres at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics and ran in the marathon a Melbourne in 1956.He held 54 English, British, Commonwealth and European records and in 1959 won the International Cross Country Championships.