Jenny Simpson, a world champion runner, has disclosed that a rare heart condition led to her experiencing cardiac arrest during a race in June, and she has announced that she will not be returning to the sport.
In a post on Instagram on Thursday, the 39-year-old athlete shared that she had been diagnosed with Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC), a condition that resulted in “dangerous heart rhythms that ultimately caused my heart to stop.”
She indicated that this diagnosis makes it unsafe for her to resume running.
“That chapter has ended,” she remarked. “Fortunately, my story hasn’t.”
Simpson collapsed while pacing a group of girls during a mile run at an event held in Raleigh, North Carolina. She received CPR at the track, and an automated external defibrillator was deployed before she was taken to the hospital by emergency medical personnel.
“You may be questioning what the appropriate thing to say to me after such an event would be,” she expressed. “Please refrain from saying you’re sorry or that you feel pity for me. If it resonates with you, please tell me you’re happy that I’m still here. That’s how I feel — so thankful to be here.”
For nearly ten years, starting in 2007, Simpson was the most accomplished female 1,500-meter runner in the United States. She secured a world championship title in 2011, earned silver medals twice at the world championships, and clinched a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics in 2016.