by Stuart Weir
Jenny Simpson has just retired. The most medaled American middle distance runner in modern memory (three World Championship medals, 2011 gold in Daegu, 2013 silver in Moscow, silver in 2017 London, one Olympic medal, bronze in London in 2017). Jenny has always been an excellent interviewee. Thanks to Stuart Weir, RunBlogRun’s European editor, for sending in this interview!
This interview with Jenny Simpson, compiled, curated, and edited by Stuart Weir, celebrates her amazing career.
Nine questions to Jenny Simpson*
How did you start running?
I started running in elementary school when I was very young, running in little races – kids’ races, road races, or track meets- ever since I was in third grade.
Do you remember your first-ever race?
Absolutely. I do because a girl called Brittany won and I was second. We were both third graders. It was a dive for the finish. It was my first race with 100 kids, and 2 of us were strong at the finish. Such a funny moment to look back on when I was 9 years old. [And even more amusing to think after all she has achieved that, she still remembers the name of the 9-year-old who beat her.]
How do you deal with injury?
Injury is always challenging. Despite how often you see athletes get injured, get healthy, return to the sport, and do well again, you always wonder if you can do it. So when there is an injury, there is always a doubt. Am I ever going to be healthy again? So, weathering the storm is as much about staying calm as believing in yourself. You have to get through the bad days to enjoy the fun days.
You have done 1500, 3000, Cross Country, and road-running. What is your favorite?
My absolute true love is cross country. That is where I started. That is where my heart is; I love to run cross-country races. I love the person-to-person combat you experience in cross country; the courses are always different. And you are weathering the elements. Many things in cross country speak to me as a human being and make me feel very competitive. But track will always be special to me. I will always have a lot to thank track for my whole life because it gave me a taste of the world stage. And in 1500, I got the chance to take home the ultimate prize of being the world champion.
Volunteering?
It is so essential for people to be involved with their communities. The human connection in communities is vital for our well-being and perspective on life. So, I have always been involved in my community wherever I was. For example, I was involved with the refugee service in Boulder, Colorado. I have always been involved with my local church. And building other people up is part of being a strong person yourself. Community service is an essential part of my life.
Talk about the role of faith?
I am a Christian and attend church with my husband and family. But I think owning your faith and understanding how that can bring you peace has helped me get through many problematic seasons when I wasn’t doing my best. But it also helped me get through some of the best seasons when there was a lot of pressure. So when I know there is a joy in what I do, that is greater than myself. It makes me feel that I just have to be a good steward of my ability, and God will take care of the rest. Following Jesus makes all the difference in the world because everything I accomplish on earth and do here only has earthly consequences. But what I invest in human beings and what I experience as a person, I know that I am building up treasures in heaven.
Monaco 2015 race – how do you look back on that race. [Simpson ran 3:57.30, just 0.18 off Mary Slaney‘s nearly 32-year-old American record before the race. However, Shannon Rowbury beat her to improve the American record to 3:56.29, and Genzebe Dibaba set a new World record of 3:50.07].
Monaco was challenging because I was trying to peak for the World Championship. We arrived in Monaco, and the place buzzed about how fast people wanted to run in the 1500s. I rather bridged the gap for most of the race between the very top women and the rest of us and led that part for most of the race but paid for it at the end and was out-kicked by a couple of competitors, which was difficult. But Monaco that year and every year, like all the diamond races, was essential for me as steps along the way to the world championship final’s most important day of the year. So, they were difficult because maybe I didn’t achieve what I wanted that day. But in the big picture, it is just one step along the way, and I don’t put as much significance on that one performance as I do when I look at how I performed in the world championships.
What about the Fifth Avenue mile – that you are unbeatable in it? [8 wins]
I just think it’s such a wonderful thing that for the entire year, I run all over the world – in Asia and Europe –and then to be able to run the standard mile, which is an American invention. And to run a mile in the middle of New York City amid American culture and busyness and an incredible running community, it just seems so fitting as an American to be able to return and run my last race of a very long season back in the United States. I enjoy it; in fact, I love it, and I really look forward to ending my season there each year.
You have been very versatile. You won the USATF Outdoor 5000-meter title and finished second place in 27:57 at the 2014 US Cross Country Championship. You have also run marathons and steeplechases alongside the 1500.
I really enjoy being good at more than one thing. When I talk to kids, that is one thing I encourage them – when you find one thing you’re good at, never assume it’s the only thing you will be good at. So I encourage young people: ‘You can be great at many things, at more than one thing.’ And I like to demonstrate that in my running career.
The 1500 is such a marquee event, and it is incredible to finish with all the effort, difficulty, and pain in 4 minutes—as opposed to a 5K, where the pain lasts 15 minutes.
*edited together from different interviews.
