Former CU star Jenny Simpson hospitalized after collapsing at running event

A Colorado track legend is in the hospital after a frightening medical emergency.

Jenny Simpson, the former University of Colorado standout and Olympic bronze medalist, collapsed Tuesday night while pacing a group of runners at a community event in Raleigh, North Carolina, organizers said.

Simpson, 39, received CPR at the track, and responders used an automated external defibrillator before she was taken to a hospital. She had no initial pulse but regained one before arriving, according to officials.

“Jenny is receiving excellent medical care, and our thoughts are with her and her family during this time,” the Sir Walter Running Team wrote on social media on Wednesday.

The group hosted the Pop Up Miles event, a weekly gathering open to runners of all levels. It thanked the bystanders, EMS and medical staff “who handled the situation with such care, urgency and professionalism.”

Simpson’s current condition is unclear.

Simpson built her legend in Boulder, racking up four NCAA titles in a Buffaloes singlet and earning the first-ever women’s Bowerman Award in 2009 before becoming one of the greatest American middle-distance runners ever. She has called Boulder home through her pro career. At Colorado, she has served as a volunteer assistant for the program.

Her resume is staggering. She won 1,500-meter gold at the 2011 world championships — the first American to win the event since former Buff Mary Decker Slaney — added silvers in 2013 and 2017, and took bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics, becoming the first American woman to medal in the Olympic 1,500. She also raced at the 2008 and 2012 Games.

Simpson retired from competition in late 2024, then spent a year touring all 50 states in a Winnebago with her husband, Jason, before landing a role as Fleet Feet’s first chief running officer. The couple wrapped that tour back home in Colorado.

The running world is pulling for her now.

“We ask that you continue to keep Jenny and her family in your prayers as we all hope for the very best,” the Sir Walter Running Team said.