Jenny Simpson, a world champion runner, disclosed that a rare heart condition led to her cardiac arrest during a race in June, and she has decided not to resume her running career.
In a post on Instagram Thursday, the 39-year-old athlete shared that she has 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 poses significant risks, making it unsafe for her to return to running.
“That chapter has come to a close,” she stated. “Fortunately, my story continues.”
Simpson collapsed while pacing a group of girls during a mile race at an event in Raleigh, North Carolina. She received CPR on-site, and an automated external defibrillator was administered before emergency personnel transported her to the hospital.
“You may be wondering what the appropriate thing to say to me after such an incident is,” she expressed. “Please refrain from saying you’re sorry or that you feel pity for me. If you genuinely feel it, tell me you’re glad I’m still here. That’s how I feel—so grateful to be alive.”
From 2007 onward, Simpson dominated as America’s leading women’s 1,500-meter runner for nearly a decade. She secured a world championship title in 2011, finished as the runner-up twice, and earned an Olympic bronze medal in Rio in 2016.
