“I experienced everything from the trenches of training to standing on the top of the podium while our national anthem filled the stadium. I got to race everything from the mile to the marathon all over the world.”

Simpson, 39, is a three-time Olympian who won bronze in the 1500-meter event at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She was crowned the world champion of the event in 2011, along with winning silver in 2013 and 2017.

Before turning pro in 2010, Simpson set six NCAA records and won four national championships while running for the University of Colorado.

Simpson also shared that bystanders kept her alive with CPR and an AED when she collapsed at the Sir Walter Running Pop-Up Mile, but after arriving to a nearby hospital, she suffered cardiac arrest a second time.

“My heart continued to fail, and I was placed on life support before being transferred to Duke Hospital for more advanced heart failure support. My body was dying, but my spirit wouldn’t give up. I fought for my life,” she said. 

She was ultimately diagnosed with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, which causes irregular heartbeats and sudden cardiac death in seemingly healthy people, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

“My relationship with running must change. My love for it is stronger than ever,” she said. “I won’t be out there running beside you, but I’ll still be right where I belong — supporting and cheering for this running community that has given me so much.”