Simpson’s Retirement Plan: 50 states, 2 dogs, 1 year to RUN USA

ON RUNNING

Jason and Jenny Simpson, along with Jack Russell terriers Truman and Barkley, will start their year-long cross-country journey Jan. 7 in Florida in this 23-foot Winnebago. They plan on traveling to a different state each week, with the social media handle “JennyandJasonRUNUSA.” COURTESY PHOTOS

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As she crossed the finishing line of the Nov. 3 New York City Marathon, Jenny Simpson not only completed 26.2 miles in 2 hours, 31 minutes, 54 seconds, good for 18th place, she completed a remarkable career, one that led her from the roads and fields of Oviedo, Fla., to podium finishes at many NCAA and USATF national championships, Olympic Games and World Championships.

Now, two decades after making her first U.S. national team, the former University of Colorado star is on to a new adventure. Simpson is teaming up with husband and marathoner Jason for a year-long RV trip to see some of the places she did not have time to visit while a professional runner. The Simpsons call their journey “a running-focused exploration of America.”

“After 20 years of representing this amazing country, my little family is hitting the road for one year to explore the beautiful land and meet more of the brave people that make this nation great,” Simpson wrote on her Instagram page. “50 states, 2 dogs, 1 year to RUN USA!”

Simpson’s many fans will be following her newest challenge via social media channels, with the handle “JennyandJasonRUNUSA.” In a bit of serendipity, when the couple went to the Boulder Department of Motor Vehicles to register their 23-foot Winnebago RV, the license plate “RUNUSA” was available. The Simpsons quickly grabbed it, perhaps a good sign for their impending trip, which begins Jan. 7 in Florida, followed by Georgia; Alabama; Mississippi; Arkansas; Texas; Oklahoma and Alaska.

“We will be in a new state each week,” Jason Simpson said in an email. “We will be running a lot. Racing at our fastest won’t be a focus this year but we will have more races on the calendar than ever before.”

Simpson, a three-time Olympian and 2016 Olympic 1500 meter bronze medalist; 2011 World Championship gold medalist and 2013 and 2017 World Champs silver medalist, has been at or near the top of the running world since she arrived in Boulder in 2005 as an eager freshman, fresh off eight Florida high school state titles. She has been one of the most popular of the local elites, accommodating when asked to give training advice, sign autographs or to show up for events, qualities that helped her sign professional contracts, first with New Balance and now Puma.

Simpson turned to the marathon after missing a bid for a fourth Olympic team at the 2020 Olympic trials. She dropped out at mile 18 of her debut marathon, the 2024 Olympic trials marathon, but followed it up with a solid 2:31 run this past April, before choosing New York City for her final competitive race.

“I feel a lot of peace about it, but it’s not like I’m over running,” Simpson, 38, told OutsideRun in announcing her retirement. “I want to retire so I can do more running and to explore the beautiful country I raced for. I wanted to be world-class at the marathon, and I’m not. I gave it a good try, and now it’s time to try something else, and I just feel really good about it.”

Simpson has been world-class since making her first Olympic team as a junior at the University of Colorado, setting the American steeplechase record in the Olympic final. She had many spectacular mile and 1500 meter races during her long career, enough for Mark Wetmore, her coach during college and for most of her professional career, to say this about her:

“I understand that I may not be objective, but when Jenny’s accomplishments as a collegian, as a pro, across a spectrum of events, and nearly 20 years, with never a shadow of breaking rules, against dozens of opponents sooner or later exposed as breaking the rules…I believe that Jenny is the greatest American distance runner.”

Heady praise, and, looking over her consistency, records, track acumen and success, hard to disagree with. With the responsibilities of elite training and racing lifted, Simpson will now get to see how well her medals and wins, along with Jason’s 2:18 marathon best, translate into navigating the ups and downs of this year-long, criss-crossing-the-country road trip.

In any case, Simpson is excited to get on the road and see what adventures await her, Jason, and their two cute Jack Russell terriers, Truman and Barkley. As actor Chevy Chase says in “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” portraying the character Clark Griswald, “Why aren’t we flying? Because getting there is half the fun!”