By Davy Crockett

Both a podcast and a full article

Paul “Hardrock” Simpson, of Burlington, North Carolina, was an elite colorful, professional ultrarunner of the late 1920s who worked to continue in the sport during the Great Depression. He was one of the very few talented ultradistance runners who bridged to the post-war modern era of ultrarunning in the 1950s. With creativity, charisma, and strong performances, he successfully captured the imagination of the nation during both the periods. During that time, he was recognized as one of the greatest long-distance runners in America.

Paul Simpson was born in 1904. When he was a child on the family farm, he had to do the shopping. The nearest store was two miles away. Instead of walking, he ran the four miles to and from the store. He said, “I couldn’t see the point in wasting time walking the distance so I just dug my toes into the hot sand and ran the entire distance.” He began running regularly at age fifteen and won a mile race in high school.



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Early Running

When Paul was still fifteen in 1919, he entered the army by lying about his age. While in the service he gained his first true experience running, by trotting four miles around the post each morning with a boxer friend. He said that it made the morning eggs taste better. Becoming a general was his goal, but since the war ended, he resigned a few months later with 250,000 other soldiers.

Once home, Paul decided to finish high school and still hoped to become a general by going to West Point. He was given the name of “Hardrock” by his high school classmates at Burlington high school where he “ran and ran on long straightaways or in circles. He wasn’t so fast, not as sprinters go, but he was durable and defiant to physical wear and tear.” He won the state title in the mile. While on the football team he never missed a play. He indeed was “Hardrock.”

Hardrock received an appointment to West Point, but when he finished high school, he decided not to accept it. Instead he entered Elon College where he starred on the track and field team in the 100-yard dash, low hurdles, javelin throw, and the two-mile run. He was also the captain of the cross-country team and set a state record in the 6-mile run.

Racing a Horse

In 1927 at the age of nineteen, a carefully planned publicity stunt was devised by leading businessmen in Burlington as a way to gain national recognition and more business for the city. Hardrock agreed to race against a Texas Pony, running from his home town of Burlington, North Carolina to Morehead City and back, about 500 miles.

A ceremony sent away the two contestants with the town lining the streets to cheer him on. In the early stages he and the horse traded the lead, but by mile thirty-five, Hardrock took control. After 62 miles on the first day, the two exhausted contestants both turned in for the night. By the next afternoon, the horse was leading. Cars lined the roads cheering them on in the various towns.

While running through Raleigh, kids chased Hardrock and threw rocks at him. Other towns provided police escorts. Accounts about the finish on the third day vary and changed as Hardrock’s legend grew. The true story is that at about mile 144, a doctor determined that Hardrock’s foot was infected and that he needed to stop running. He did. The horse was in poor shape too, with stiff legs, five miles ahead of him. They both stopped. Hardrock did not win and was not awarded the $500 winner's prize. The truthful story that his family helped compile after his death matched contemporary reports.

But the story changed in the years to come. Perhaps the city businessmen purposely told a different story. The changed version was eventually published in Ripley’s “Believe ...