A Brief Chat With Jenny Simpson

September 9, 2011 12:02 am

Reported By Peter Gambaccini


Jenny Simpson won the 1500-meter run at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu in 4:05.40, becoming the first American woman to win the event at the Championships since Mary Decker Slaney in 1983. Simpson, the former Jenny Barringer,  was second (behind Morgan Uceny) in the 1500 at the 2011 USATF Championships. Her 4:28.60 mile indoors in New York in January is the fastest time of the year by an American, she won the 3000 and the mile at the USATF Indoor Championships in March, and her season also included a 15:11.49 for 5000 meters at Mt. SAC on April 15. Simpson, attended high school in Florida (she was a Foot Locker Regional Cross Country champ twice) and was a collegian at the University of Colorado. She holds the American record of 9:12.50 for the 3000-meter steeplechase and the collegiate record of 3:59.90 for 1500 meters; she has run 15:01.70 indoors for 5000 meters. Simpson was a three-time NCAA champion in the steeplechase (and an NCAA Indoor champ in the "flat" 3000) and won USA titles in the steeplechase in  2007 and 2009. She was ninth in the steeplechase at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and fifth at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin. Simpson now trains at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs with Coach Juli Benson (formerly Henner).