Lyubov Denisova made her first trip to Wheeling a memorable one.

The diminutive 34-year-old overtook 2004 champion Naomi Wangui during the latter stages and then pulled away to capture the Women’s Open Division crown Saturday at the sun-splashed 30th annual Ogden Newspapers 20K Classic with a time of 1:12:52.

The Moscow, Russia native now adds an Ogden 20K triumph to an already impressive road racing resume which includes back-to-back wins (2004 and 2005) in the Los Angeles Marathon, a runner-up finish in the 2003 Boston Marathon and three top-5 finishes, including a runner-up finish in 2002, in the New York Marathon. She finished third in the 2006 Los Angeles Marathon in March.

The win broke a string of five consecutive wins by a Kenyan competitor. Jemma Sumgong, the 2005 champion, didn’t enter this year’s race.

Marathons are clearly Denisova’s forte and she said she rarely competes in 20K events. But Denisova said the Wheeling course presented her with a challenge that many of the events she participates in don’t have.

Hills.

While this year’s Ogden 20K course didn’t present as many upward challenges as in years past, the 29th Street Hill still remained an imposing force.

‘I liked the course very much,’’ Denisova said as she drank a bottle of water a few minutes following the race.

Denisova said she returned to training in the Unites States in January to begin preparations for the 2006 race season. Now living in New York City, many of the smaller races she competes in are in or near ‘‘The Big Apple.’’

‘‘I run a lot of 10Ks and 5Ks, but 20Ks aren’t part of my normal race schedule,’’ she said.

Wangui, who missed last year’s Ogden 20K, looked strong in the early going of this year’s event as she jumped out to a large lead as the runners made their way to the 1-mile mark on Main Street.

As the runners reached the 5-mile point near the top of 29th Street hill, Wangui still held the lead, followed by Denisova and Susan Graham-Gray, the 38-year-old legally blind runner from Greencastle, Pa.

While she was trailing at that point, Denisova wasn’t concerned.

‘‘My plan was to start slow, not fast,’’ she explained. ‘‘After the 10K mark, then I wanted to make my move.

And that’s just what she did.

As the runners moved their way to the 8-mile mark near Elm Grove, Denisova pulled even with the Kenyan making it a two-person race to the finish.

‘‘I was even with her for about a mile,’’ Denisova said.

Then, as action neared Washington Ave,, Denisova took charge for good.

‘‘I was running hard and then she just pulled away,’’ Wangui, who finished with a time of 1:14:41, said. ‘‘As she passed me she was running very, very fast.’’

Graham-Gray ended up being the top American finisher with a clocking of 1:19:16.

Heather Parks, of Bruceton Mills, W.Va., was next in the female standings with a time of 1:21:58. Gina McGee, of Latrobe, Pa., rounded out the top five with a time of 1:22:55.

Becky Droginske, of Wheeling, was the top area female finisher. She finished with a time of 1:31:42.