How Jenny Simpson Won Worlds, Olympic Bronze, 11 National Titles & 4 NCAA Championships — And Why She's Now Helping To Lead the Biggest Running Store Chain in America
THE RUNNING EFFECT PODCAST
Dominic Schlueter
4.9 • 822 Ratings
🗓️ 20 February 2026
⏱️ 66 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What does one of the most decorated American middle-distance runners in history do after her final race?
After 20 years at the top of the sport, including four global medals, a World Championship gold, an Olympic bronze, 11 U.S. titles, and a 3:57 1500m personal best, Jenny Simpson stepped off the professional stage at the 2024 New York City Marathon for the final time.
But she didn’t step away from running. Rather, she delved deeper into it.
Now, as the first-ever Chief Running Officer at Fleet Feet, Jenny is helping shape the future of grassroots running in America. She helped launch the new @fleetfeetperformance platform, culminating in a short documentary that signals something bigger than branding. It’s about culture.
And while most retired pros slow down, Jenny and her husband Jason have been driving across all 50 states on a self-funded, unsponsored RUN USA Tour, partnering with Fleet Feet stores, hosting fun runs, answering questions, and celebrating the heartbeat of the sport at places like Montclair, Des Moines, and the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon kickoff.
Jenny’s career proved she could win on the world stage.
This next chapter is about helping everyone else find their starting line.
Tap into the Jenny Simpson Special.
If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it.
Comment the word “PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen.
If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!
S H O W N O T E S
-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs
-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run
-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ
-My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en'
-Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Today on the podcast is the legendary Jenny Simpson. |
| 0:03.0 | If you're not familiar with her, you've probably been living under Iraq. |
| 0:05.5 | She's a world champion, Olympic bronze medalist, NCAA title winner back in the day, |
| 0:09.7 | Bowerman Award recipient, been professionally for 14 years, fired her own agent and negotiated contracts herself, |
| 0:15.8 | which I love hearing about in this conversation, made the shift from the track to the marathon, |
| 0:20.1 | announced her retirement two days |
| 0:21.7 | before her final race at the 2024 New York City Marathon, then disappeared into an RV for a year |
| 0:27.1 | running across the country, and now she's back, leading the charge for the biggest running |
| 0:31.3 | retail brand in the country with Fleet Feet. Jenny has lived more chapters than most athletes |
| 0:35.5 | dream of, and today she opens up about what it cost, what it taught her, what she do differently, and so many other things. |
| 0:42.6 | This is the running effect, and this is my conversation with one of the greatest legends in American distance running, Jenny Simpson. |
| 0:48.9 | If you enjoyed, give us a five-star review. |
| 0:50.7 | Hit the follow button for more conversations like this in the future and share this podcast with a friend who you think would benefit from it. |
| 0:56.5 | And without further ado, enjoy it. |
| 0:58.0 | The legendary, the stories, the wisdom of Jenny Simpson. |
| 1:05.8 | Jenny Simpson, welcome to the running effect podcast. |
| 1:08.7 | Words I've been waiting to say for for quite some time i emailed you |
| 1:11.5 | about this but um yeah colmoteesan close mutual friend raved about you in person which was awesome |
| 1:18.1 | because the context before that was obviously growing up in the sport um was a was a big fan of yours |
| 1:24.2 | and i had the i wish i was born a little earlier in 2011 when you |
| 1:28.3 | won worlds. I was six years old, so I can't say I was watching the race. But throughout your journey and your career, you were someone I looked up to. And anytime I'd see you on a podcast or something, I'd listen to it. So it's an honor to have you on my own new role, new company, new chapter. How are you doing today? |
| 1:45.2 | I'm great. First, Domin company, new chapter. How are you doing today? |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Dominic Schlueter, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Dominic Schlueter and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.