Jenny Simpson has said her running career is over after being diagnosed with ARVC, following the sudden cardiac arrest she suffered in June after a track event in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The 39-year-old three-time U.S. Olympian was resuscitated with CPR and an AED after collapsing while pacing runners at the Sir Walter Running Pop-Up Mile. She then suffered another cardiac arrest at the hospital, was placed on life support and transferred to Duke Hospital before her condition improved and she came off intensive support.
What happened in June?
Simpson later explained that her heart was “severely injured and stunned” and that her lungs struggled too, but said that “miraculously, my heart woke back up.” She added that her body proved “remarkably resilient” and that within days her heart and lungs were strong enough to work on their own.
Two months on, she revealed that testing showed Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy, or ARVC. In Simpson’s words, scar tissue within her heart disrupted its electrical system, triggering dangerous heart rhythms that caused her heart to stop.
Why the diagnosis changes everything
That diagnosis means running is no longer considered safe for her. For an athlete whose career included three Olympics, an Olympic bronze medal and a world championship title in the 1500 meters, it is a hard ending to a remarkable chapter.
Simpson had already stepped away from professional racing after completing the 2024 New York City Marathon, later taking on the role of Fleet Feet’s chief running officer. Now she is back home in Colorado, recovering and looking ahead to work and public life rather than competition.
“That chapter has ended”
Simpson said it took time to find the words to share the update, and thanked people for their “continued love, patience, prayers, and concern” as she recovers. She also made clear that the decision is final: “That chapter has ended,” she said. “Thankfully, my story hasn’t.”
Her focus now is on recovery and on a future built around “confidence, connection, purpose, and joy.” For one of American running’s most decorated athletes, the sport may no longer be part of the story on the track, but the next phase of life is already beginning.
