World champion runner Jenny Simpson shared on Instagram that she suffered a cardiac arrest during a race in June due to a rare heart condition, leading her to retire from running. The 39-year-old Simpson disclosed that she was diagnosed with Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC), which caused dangerous heart rhythms resulting in her heart stopping. This diagnosis has deemed it unsafe for her to continue running.
Simpson collapsed while pacing a group of girls in a mile run at an event in Raleigh, North Carolina, prompting CPR and the use of an automated external defibrillator before she was taken to the hospital. Despite this life-threatening experience, Simpson expressed gratitude for being alive and emphasized that a new chapter awaits her.
Having been a dominant figure in American women’s 1,500-meter running for about a decade starting in 2007, Simpson achieved significant milestones, including winning world championships in 2011, securing two second-place finishes, and claiming Olympic bronze in Rio in 2016.
