Jenny Simpson, a retired middle and long distance runner, former World Champion in 1500m (won gold at the 2011 World Championships, silver in 2013 and 2014), as well as gold in Diamond League 2014 and bronze medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics, has revealed she suffers a rare heart condition, that is inherited, called Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC) that will make her returning to running "dangerous".
Simpson, 39 year old, collapsed last June at a community track event and required CPR as she had no pulse, she was later taken to a hospital and put in life support. Her heart slowly started pumping again, but not enough, so her lungs filled with fluids. "Then, miraculously, my heart woke back up. My whole body proved remarkably resilient. Within days, my heart and lungs were strong enough to work on their own", Simpson wrote on Instagram.
Simpson retired from professional running after the 2024 New York City marathon, but continued to run as leisure, including touring through all the United States in 2025 with his husband, meeting with local running communities.
While she won't be able to run again, she said she "couldn't have written a better ending" having her final run be a one mile race pacing young girls and running in community. Her relationship with running will change, and as Chief at Fleet Feet, a store for running shoes, she will remain connected with the community.
