Paul "Hardrock" Simpson '31 is among the amazing athletes profiled in a new book that details a 1928 coast-to-coast run across America. Details...
It takes a certain type of person to voluntarily run 3,422 miles from Los Angeles to New York City, and Paul “Hardrock” Simpson ’31 of Alamance County not only did it once—but twice.
His determination and talent have earned him a spot in a new book by Geoff Williams, “C.C. Pyle’s Amazing Foot Race, the True Story of the 1928 Coast-To-Coast Run Across America.” The book tells the tale of the nations first transcontinental race, founded by sports agent and promoting mastermind, C.C. Pyle.
Hardrock is featured extensively throughout the book including a portion of a chapter which is dedicated to him. After finishing 36th of the 198 men who started the race in 1928, he went on to run again the following year and finished 5th.
He gained national fame and local stardom after setting several unofficial world records and state titles. Hardrock’s success led to features in “Sports Illustrated” and Ripley’s “Believe It Or Not.”
Elon Archivist and Special Collections Librarian, Katie Nash, has been assisting Williams with his research on Hardrock since July 2005. Nash sifted through local newspaper articles and those published in Elon’s Student Newspaper, the “Maroon and Gold.” She also met with Simpson’s daughter, who provided content and photos for the book.
Williams mentions Nash, Belk Library and Elon University in the Acknowledgments pages of the book, which went on sale July 10th. It is available for purchase on amazon.com and has been added to the circulating collection of Belk Library.
A feature on Hardrock was published in the Summer 2005 Magazine of Elon.
About Geoff Williams: www.geoffwilliamswriter.com