Jenny Simpson has spent the past two months recovering from a medical emergency that nearly took her life. Now, she says she finally feels ready to explain what happened and what comes next.
The three-time U.S. Olympian shared an extensive update on Instagram, revealing that she was diagnosed with a rare inherited heart condition after going into sudden cardiac arrest following a track event in June.
“It took me time to find the words and be ready to share this update,” Simpson wrote. “Thank you for your continued love, patience, prayers, and concern as I recover and return to work and public life.”
At just 39, Simpson collapsed after pacing runners at the Sir Walter Running Pop-Up Mile in Raleigh, North Carolina. CPR was performed immediately, with an AED used until emergency medical personnel showed up.
Her condition worsened after she reached the hospital. Simpson said she suffered another cardiac arrest and was eventually placed on life support before being transferred to Duke Hospital for more advanced treatment.
“My heart was severely injured and stunned. My lungs struggled too,” she wrote.
Her condition began improving over the following days, eventually allowing her to come off the intensive support she had needed.
“Miraculously, my heart woke back up,” she wrote. “My whole body proved remarkably resilient. Within days my heart and lungs were strong enough to work on their own.”
She was later diagnosed with Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC), a rare inherited condition. “Scar tissue within my heart disrupted its electrical system, triggering dangerous heart rhythms that ultimately caused my heart to stop,” Simpson wrote.
Simpson is now back home in Colorado and called her current situation the “best-case scenario.” She said she’ll continue working with her Duke medical team as she learns what living with ARVC will mean for her recovery going forward.
“My future is an incredible gift,” Simpson wrote following her major health scare. “It’s hopeful, and it will continue to have great purpose.”
But she added that her diagnosis makes returning to running dangerous.
“That chapter has ended,” she wrote. “Thankfully, my story hasn’t.”
The news closes an extraordinary competitive career. Simpson’s career spanned three Olympics, including an Olympic bronze medal and a world championship title in the 1500 meters. She stepped away from professional racing after completing the 2024 New York City Marathon and later became Fleet Feet’s chief running officer.
Her final run, Simpson noted, ended up being the mile she paced shortly before her cardiac arrest.
“I couldn’t have written a better ending,” she wrote. Simpson said there was something fitting about having her last run be a mile spent helping pace younger runners.
Running may no longer be part of Simpson’s future, but the running world very much is. She said her work with Fleet Feet will let her keep helping others find the “confidence, connection, purpose, and joy” the sport can provide.
And for anyone unsure of what to say to her now, Simpson offered one request.
“Please do not say that you’re sorry or that you feel bad for me,” she wrote. “If it is true in your heart, please tell me you’re glad that I’m here.”
“That’s how I feel,” she added. “So glad that I’m still here.”
Sean Abrams was the Senior Editor, Growth and Engagement at Men’s Health. He’s a former hip hop dancer who likes long walks on the beach and large glasses of tequila. You can find his previous work at Maxim, Elite Daily, and AskMen.