By Jessica Battisti
Herald Intern
When Oviedo-raised Olympian Jenny Simpson announced her retirement at the New York City Marathon on November 2024, she decided to also share her retirement plans: to keep on running.
Jenny Simpson, alongside husband and marathoner Jason Simpson, purchased a Winnebago, brought along their two dogs and embarked on a cross-country journey to travel to all 50 states in 50 weeks—a mission they’ve coined the “Run USA” tour.
Their goal is to explore the running communities of every state she’s represented throughout her decorated career.
Jenny Simpson competed in the Olympics in 2008, 2012 and 2016, winning a bronze medal in the 1500m at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She is also a three-time World Championship medalist, winning gold in the 1500m at the 2011 World Championships in South Korea at 25-years-old.
For Jenny Simpson, those moments in her career served as a reminder that running was always bigger than herself.
“As I approached the end of my career it felt bigger than just me ‘hanging up the racing shoes,’” Jenny Simpson said. “It slowly came to me that I wanted to take some time to process all of my years of racing and that it might be most fitting for me to do that by fellowshipping with the people and the places that I did a lot of running for.”
Kicking off the tour in Florida, the couple participated in the Dopey Challenge, Disney’s 48.6 mile race spanning the course of four days, and made an appearance at Track Shack in Orlando.
“I can revisit my younger self in a way because the store itself is a bit like a time capsule,” Jenny Simpson said. “It’s not easy to make necessary changes to a business and keep a place feeling familiar to someone who has left and grown and returned. What they have accomplished in that way is a generous gift.”
Since then, the Simpsons have toured Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas. While on tour, they are looking forward to uncovering the running communities of small town America and experiencing the beautiful landscapes and diverse communities the country has to offer.
“Even though I’ve been to a lot of states, there are small cities and running groups there that I haven’t explored,” Jenny Simpson said. “So there’s something undiscovered everywhere.”
The couple also attended Ebenezer Baptist Church on Martin Luther King Jr. Day while in Atlanta, which Jason Simpson called a “powerful and moving experience.”
“The convictions we felt during that service we’ll carry with us throughout the year and beyond,” he said. “Standing up for justice, mercy and love isn’t something we want to merely read or hear about, we want to be part of the change that brings it about.”
In each state so far, Jenny Simpson has felt a profound sense of pride in the stories of the resilience and recovery in the running community.
“For years running has been my job and all along it was, for many people, a vehicle for healing or connection or growth,” Jenny Simpson said. “I thought I knew that. But being out here and running alongside so many new friends and learning about their lives has been humbling. America is full of incredibly strong people.”
After Arkansas, the couple will venture to Texas, Oklahoma and Alaska. The remainder of the tour has yet to be announced on their social media platforms.
For Jason Simpson, the best moments from the tour have been the “unplanned and unscripted.”
“We know we have some great things lined up for the rest of the year but that’s just the beginning,” Jason Simpson said. “What is to come is unknown but unbelievably good.”
Follow along the “Run USA” tour on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube and Tik Tok @jennyandjasonrunusa.
