Jenny Barringer Simpson is one of our best American distance runners and a world threat from the 1500m to the marathon.Stuart Weir reflects on a very long and exciting career.
Jenny Simpson – Reflections on her career
Now that Jenny has announced that the New York Marathon was her last professional race, Stuart Weir reflects on 16 years of watching her.
I first met Jenny Simpson under somewhat embarrassing circumstances. She had just won the World Championships in Daegu in 2011. At the end of the winner’s press conference, I asked her if she would do an interview with me the next day, but she willingly agreed to do it in the US via the team’s press officer. I immediately went to the media center next to the press conference room and told the US press officer that I would like to have an interview with Jenny. He answered: “I know,” which surprised me when he added. “I think everyone knows that, Stuart.” I was more confused. Then he explained that the press conferences were broadcast in the media center, and when I asked Jenny, the microphone was still live. He and everyone else had heard my conversation.
Jenny duly introduced herself the next day and was very engaging.I got to speak to her on several other occasions later which confirmed my initial impression. I had the privilege of seeing him run in three Olympics and six World Championships and talking with him about many of them.
2008 Olympic 3000m running 8th place, but beating the American record.
“Beijing was such an incredible experience. There was a stadium with 90,000 people and a village with athletes of all kinds. Perhaps the biggest gift of the Olympics was experiencing the lifestyle of the different athletes. It was very special.”
2009 World Cup 4th 3000m running
“Berlin was very special for me. We mentioned Jesse Owens when we were there. The stadium in Berlin is so historic. it has an incredible structure. Being in that stadium was so inspiring. I remember being aware of the dignity of the facility itself and the history of Jesse Owens competing there. It just made me proud to be a T&F and an American athlete. I ran a gutsy race, a 10-second PR. It was my first real taste of “I can do this.” I’m here and one of these days I’m going up there.”
2011 World Championship Gold Medal 1500m
“Going from the 3,000 to the 1,500 was a tough decision, but it was something my coach was very confident about, even though he had to talk me through it a bit. I knew I had the physical ability to excel in the event because I had run 3:59 before when I wasn’t even a major in it. But you have to be a brilliant racer when you run the 15. I didn’t know if I had what it took. But he was watching me in practice and working out with my teammates, and he felt very confident that I had what it took. So I thank him for seeing something that I didn’t immediately see in myself. Winning in Daegu made me realize how good I could be. The kind of future I was looking forward to was one of the best in the world, not just one of the best in the US, and I think that signaled to the international community as well. After the race, things were never the same in my career, in a positive way.
2012 London Olympics – Eliminated in the 1500 semi-finals
“Winning in 2011 was a bit of a surprise as it was the first time I had ever competed internationally in the 1500m. And I was young, my first summer as a professional athlete. With that success, it can be hard to keep going and get through next year. So preparing for the Olympics and getting ready for all the challenges to succeed in 2012 was tough, and that was the added pressure of being the reigning world champion. I did as well as I could in dealing with the emotional pressure, unfortunately I didn’t make it to the finals. It was a huge disappointment not only to me but also to many of the people I worked with. But it was a big growing experience of how to expect so much of myself and deal with the reality of not being able to do it.”
2013 World Championship Silver Medal 1500m
“It can be hard to succeed, but it was really important for me to step up again in my career. So it was really nice to come back in 2013 and show the world that the success of 2011 was no fluke and that I will be a real contender for the rest of my career.”
2015 World Championships 1500m 11th
(He lost his shoe during the race.)
“The one thing I will say for the record is that I don’t look back and feel completely devastated. If you want to be in the sport for a long time and be good for a long time, there will be days when things go wrong. It will definitely happen. And I’ve had days where everything has gone right. And unfortunately that’s part of what you’re signing up for if you’re going to be good for a long time, to go and have trouble along the way. Anyway, I don’t look back with destruction. I see it as part of a long career.”
2016 Olympic Games 3th 1500
“When you win an Olympic medal, it’s incredible, but the reality of how you remember that whole year continues to shape how far away you are from it. It’s like how you remember the story and your feelings about it that day; years later it is galvanized over time. About Rio, the more I reflect on the year as a whole, the more I realize it was a really tough year and I will always remember the joy and excitement of getting the medal. But that achievement was harder to fight than any other in my entire career in terms of having setbacks, believing in myself and committing to a plan that I wasn’t sure would succeed, like the clock was ticking and I wasn’t making much headway , as I thought. And just sitting here and reflecting on 2016, my overwhelming feeling is that it was a really tough year.”
2017 World Championships, London second
“My coach told me all day. “Be prepared to push yourself and you’ll be great,” so I did exactly what he did. I ran hard for the last 300 meters, and it paid off.
Having the experience is huge because the ability to stay calm is very difficult, especially at the World Championships, when you’re competing in a beautiful stadium is, personal redemption.”
2019 World Championships 1500m 8th
In part two, Jenny presents her thoughts on a variety of topics.
