Josh Simpson’s first experience with The Ogden Newspapers 20K Classic Run and Walk was a challenging but rewarding one.

The former high school All-American from Oak Glen was the first American finisher and placed fourth overall with a time of 1:04:37.

“I’d never experienced anything like 29th Street Hill,” said Simpson, who is currently training with West Virginia University assistant head women’s track coach Sean Cleary while taking classes at WVU. “It’s just brutal.

“There’s a big hill at the Charleston Distance Race but this one is much longer. It never ends.”

Simpson was in the second group of lead runners after eventual race winner Reta Alene of Ethiopia led Kenya’s Macdonald Ondara and Richard Kimeli on an early breakaway.

The 23-year-old OVAC product separated himself from the rest of the pack on the way up 29th Street Hill and spent the final 7 miles in virtual solitude.

“That’s where I broke away from (fifth-place finisher) Jim Jurcevich,” said Simpson. “By the time I got to the bottom, I was pretty much by myself. I’m pretty good at running hills — but that doesn’t mean I want to run them.”

Simpson signed with WVU out of Oak Glen only to have the Mountaineers drop their men’s programs a month before the start of his freshman year.

“I ran cross country one year at Northern Arizona,” said Simpson, “but I decided to come back home and train with Coach Cleary and his elite group.”

Much like Ricky Moore, the Wheeling runner who was the first American finisher here each of the last two years, Simpson has set his sights on qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.

His next stop will be Duluth, Minn., where he’ll compete in the prestigious Grandma’s Marathon on June 16.