Sports20 August, 20263 min read
Jenny Simpson Says ARVC Diagnosis After June 16 Cardiac Arrest Ends Her Running Career
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Jenny Simpson collapsed during a Raleigh pacer mile in June and required CPR/defibrillator. She was diagnosed with inherited arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) following the arrest.
8 outlets told this the same way.
Simpson’s ARVC diagnosis
Olympic runner Jenny Simpson said she suffered a sudden cardiac arrest on June 16 at a Sir Walter Running Pop-Up Mile in Raleigh, N.C., and that she has been diagnosed with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), a rare inherited heart condition. Simpson said the condition “rules out any return to running,” adding that “That chapter has ended,” while she described how scarring in her heart muscle interfered with signals that regulate her heartbeat. The BBC reported that the 39-year-old American was pacing a mile group at a pop-up event in North Carolina in June when she collapsed and required CPR and an automated external defibrillator before being transported to UNC Rex Hospital in Raleigh.
“‘But my diagnosis also means it would be dangerous for me to return to running. That chapter has ended.”
After arriving at the hospital, Simpson said she “went into cardiac arrest again,” and she was placed on life support before being transferred to Duke Hospital for more advanced heart failure support. Simpson later said her heart and lungs recovered enough to “work on their own,” and she announced she is back in Colorado under the care of her Duke team.
What she wrote, and when
Simpson shared her update on Instagram on Thursday, Aug. 20, writing that “It took me time to find the words and be ready to share this update,” as she described recovering and returning to work and public life.
In the same post, she said she was placed on life support before being transferred to Duke Hospital, and she wrote, “My heart continued to fail, and I was placed on life support before being transferred to Duke Hospital for more advanced heart failure support.”
The BBC also quoted Simpson saying, “My heart was severely injured and stunned. My lungs struggled too,” as she explained she was diagnosed with ARVC.
Simpson told People that her diagnosis “means it would be dangerous for me to return to running,” and she reiterated, “That chapter has ended. Thankfully, my story hasn’t.”
She said she will speak further on CBS Saturday Morning on Aug. 22 and on The Rich Roll Podcast on Sept. 7, while also saying she is recovering at her home in Colorado and continuing treatment at Duke.
Career shift and next steps
Simpson’s diagnosis did not end her competitive career immediately, because she retired at the New York City Marathon on Nov. 3, 2024, after being the first American woman to win a world 1,500m title in 4:05.40 in 2011 and the first to medal in the Olympic event with bronze in Rio in 4:10.53.
“Please do not say that you’re sorry or that you feel bad for me.”
After her collapse and ARVC diagnosis, she said she will not run again, writing that “My diagnosis also means it would be dangerous for me to return to running,” while she framed her future as “an incredible gift” with “great purpose.”
The BBC said Simpson retired from competitive racing at the end of the 2024 season, and it described her as a former 1500m world champion who won 1500m gold at the 2011 World Championships and bronze at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
Simpson said she plans to remain in Colorado while working on her recovery plan with doctors at Duke, and she told People that she will continue to support the running community through her work as chief running officer at Fleet Feet.
She also offered a direct request to fans, writing, “Please do not say that you’re sorry or that you feel bad for me,” and she added, “If it is true in your heart, please tell me you’re glad that I’m here.”