Jenny Simpson has offered more details about the tense moments on June 16 at a track event in North Carolina when she suddenly collapsed and suffered a cardiac arrest.
Simpson posted a message on social media on Thursday where she revealed that she was diagnosed with a rare heart condition and that her lungs were also severely impacted by the medical episode.
My heart was severely injured and stunned. My lungs struggled too,” Simpson said in her post. “Although my heart was beating again, it wasn’t pumping strongly enough, causing fluid to build up in my lungs. I was, quite literally, beginning to drown.
And then, miraculously, my heart woke back up. My whole body proved remarkably resilient. Within days my heart and lungs were strong enough to work on their own.”
During the Sir Walter Running Pop Up track event in Raleigh, Simpson, 39, was a pacer when she was struck with a medical episode, fell and was immediately administered CPR by bystanders and also treated with an automated external defibrillator before being transported to UNC Rex Hospital. For a brief period she did not have a pulse but was resuscitated.
“I was diagnosed with a rare inherited heart condition called Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC),” Simpson said. “Scar tissue within my heart disrupted its electrical system, triggering dangerous heart rhythms that ultimately caused my heart to stop. As devastating as that diagnosis sounds, I truly feel profoundly fortunate. CPR, AED shocks, exceptional medical care, and a healthy body and fighting spirit that have spent a lifetime adapting to hard things all came together to give me another chance at life.”
Simpson also revealed that she was placed on life support after suffering another cardiac arrest shortly after arriving at the hospital. She was released from Duke University Hospital nine days after the incident and issued a statement through Fleet Feet thanking first responders and revealed that she would remain in North Carolina during her initial recovery.
“Jenny is sincerely grateful for the countless messages, prayers, encouragement and acts of kindness she has received from friends, colleagues, competitors and runners around the world, and she looks forward to connecting with the community in time,” the statement said.
The diagnosis and continued recovery means that Simpson would not be able to return to running. She retired from professional racing after running the 2025 New York City Marathon, finishing 18th place in the women’s division in 2:31:54. In February Simpson was named as the chief running officer for Fleet Feet in a role where she would connect with local running communities, like appearing at the Sir Walter Running Pop Up event.
“My future is an incredible gift,” Simpson said. “It’s hopeful, and it will continue to have great purpose. But my diagnosis also means it would be dangerous for me to return to running. That chapter has ended. Thankfully, my story hasn’t.”
Simpson will appear on CBS Mornings on Saturday to talk more about her condition, recovery and next steps within running and outside of the sport.
