Josh Simpson Interview

Josh Simpson has made his mark on the sport of distance running in West Virginia. He attended High School at Oak Glen in New Cumberland, WV, which is in the Hancock County School District.

He was recruited by WVU head coach Sean Cleary out of high school when both Josh and his twin brother Justin Simpson were standouts at Oak Glen High School. Josh went on to hit amazing heights as a national elite runner. He’s a two-time qualifier for the U.S. Olympic Trials.

If you take anything away from this interview with Josh - Never sell yourself short just because you didn’t run very fast in high school and if you have the right coach anything is possible.

I am extremely pleased to have the opportunity to interview Josh Simpson.

Coach McMillion: What’s your full name?

JS: My full name is Joshua Alan Simpson.

What year were you born?

JS: I was born on March 17th, 1984.

CM: Where were you born and raised?

JS: I was born in Los Angeles, California and raised in West Virginia.

CM: Who are your parents?

JS: My parents are John Simpson and Terri Cobb.

CM: Do you have any siblings?

JS: I have an older brother named Travis, and a twin named Justin.

CM: What sports did you participate in as a youngster?

JS: I was a baseball player in my younger years.

CM: Where did you attend junior high at? Did you participate in any sports?

JS: I attended junior high at Oak Glen Middle School. Yes, I participated in Baseball.

CM: What years did you attend Oak Glen High?

JS: I attended Oak Glen High School from 1999 to 2003.

CM: Which sports did you participate in high school?

JS: I participated in Track and Field / Cross Country.

CM: Who were your high school coaches (cross country, track, etc.)?

JS: My coaches were Coach Cekinovich and Coach Everly.

CM: When and how did you first start running?

JS: I started running my sophomore year, because I hurt my elbow playing baseball the year before. My brother Justin was the biggest influence on my participation in Cross Country and Track, as he was already a standout runner. Our belief was, that since we were identical twins, if I put in the work I could be as good as he was.

CM: When did you first have success at running?

JS: During my senior year of high school. I made the conscious decision to start training like Justin. I very quickly became a top runner in the state and country.

CM: Which sport did you like most in high school (cross country or track)? Why?

JS: I liked cross-country way more! I learned in my professional years to love track just as much, but in high school there is nothing better than cross-country season.

CM: How many miles per a week did you run in high school?

JS: I would say I ran roughly 20 some miles a week my sophomore year, maybe 30-40 miles per week my junior year, and the summer before my senior year I decided to really start training and hit anywhere from 60-70 miles a week.

CM: What was your favorite track or cross-country workout?

JS: If we are talking about High School only, then my favorite workout would have been hill repeats. Our High School training wasn’t the most structured. If we throw in my post high school and college career, then my favorite workout would be an 8-10 mile tempo, as my Coach Sean Cleary would attest there are not many that could control a long steady hard run like I could.

CM: What awards did you win in high school?

JS: My career got a real late start. My biggest accomplishments were: getting 2nd place at States behind my twin brother, placing 4th overall at the Mid-East Meet of Champions, and placing 10th at the Foot Locker South Regional Championsips.

CM: What were your places and times at the West Virginia State Cross Country Championships? What was the classification?

JS: I raced in Class A-AA where I finished 20th at the State Meet my sophomore year (19:26), DNS my junior year, and 2nd place my senior year (15:21).

CM: Where was the meets held?

JS: My sophomore and junior year our State Meet was held in Elkins. My senior year the State Meet moved to where the Chick-Fil-A Invitational is held, which is at Mineral Wells.

CM: What were your places and times at the West Virginia State Track & Field Championships? What was the classification?

JS: The classification was A-AA. My junior year of Track I placed 6th in the 1600m, while running 4:33. In the 3200m, I ran 9:48 and placed 3rd.

CM: What was your high school PR’s?

JS: My high school PR’s: 1600m - 4:26; 3200m - 9:39; 5k - 15:15.

CM: Did you participate in Kinney/Foot Locker or NXN cross country championships?

JS: In 2002, only the top 8 made each regional Foot Locker team, unlike the current 10. I placed 10th with a time of 15:15, and was placed as an alternate to the team.

CM: Where did you attend college? And why did you choose that college?

JS: I attended WVU at first, the sole reason being Sean Cleary. I don’t know a single person that could motivate another human being like he could. In 2003, WVU in its infinite wisdom, decided to drop the men’s cross country and track teams. It was then that I transferred out to NAU. I chose NAU for two reasons; the first being I grew up in Pine Top Arizona and felt comfortable moving back there. The second was simple, it’s Northern Arizona University.

CM: What years did you attend college?

JS: I attended college from 2003 to 2008.

CM: Who was your college coach?

JS: My coaches were Sean Cleary at WVU and John Hayes at NAU.

CM: What did you do after WVU dropped men’s track and cross country?

JS: I transferred to Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ.

CM: List accomplishments in college?

JS: I qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2004. After which I stopped running for a college team and started training on my own with Sean Cleary.

CM: Do you run professionally?

JS: I did run professionally, but I retired three years ago. I ran for the New York Athletic Club, Zap Reebok, and ASTF.

CM: Tell me about some of your National Elite races?

JS: In 2006, I ran my first USA Championships, the USA 10 mile championships. I incredibly placed 6th in that race as an unsponsored athlete, beating out a couple Olympians (Dan Brown and “Fam”). Some of my bigger accomplishments are as follows:

· USA Half Marathon Championships: 6th and 8th place finishes. PR: 1:03.26. 1 World Team qualifier.

· USA Cross Country Championships: 2x USA Team member, 1x USA XC Captain, 3rd place overall.

· USA Track and Field Championships: 3x USA Track and Field qualifier.

· USA Club XC: 2nd place – 2009.

· 5k PR: 13:41; 10k PR: 28:12.

CM: You qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials more than once. Can you tell us a little about that?

JS: When I was young, I would have never thought I could get fast enough to qualify for the Track and Field Olympic Trials. I figured, if I could ever get to that level it would be in the marathon as I enjoyed the longer distances more, and they simply take a lot more participants on the road versus the 20 some odd of us on the track. My first 10k was in 2007 where I made a debut of 29:22. This time seemed to really excite my WV running friends, but I knew I ran very conservative and was upset that I wasted my one shot out West to run fast. It was a mistake I made sure I would never make again and something I taught others as I got older and started coaching and mentoring. Exactly a year later, I went back to the same race and went for it. If someone made a move, then I followed. I ran with pride for myself and for my coach, Sean, and finished my 2nd 10k ever in 28:22. I had earlier in the year finished 6th at the USA Half Marathon Championships, and made my first USA cross-country team. It was this 10k that made me believe I had really made it. Only a month later I was in Eugene running my first Olympic Trials. I was under the stadium with the NBC crew and 20 athletes I had admired my entire running life. I had my family in the crowd and will never forget when the TV crew ushered all of us onto the roaring Hayward Track and everything just slowed down for me. I had felt like I had reached the pinnacle of running lore. I was announced and cheered for on the track Steve Prefontaine made famous. It is a night I will cherish for my entire life.

In 2012, I had qualified for my 2nd Olympic Track and Marathon Trials. This year was a bit different as I had established myself as a top distance runner in the USA over the previous 4 years, and our goals had shifted from qualifying to competing. I easily qualified at the Payton Jordan Invite where I ran 28:12 in a race where our rabbit got injured a mile in, and the pace lagged heavily until I took the lead with 1200m to go. Unbeknownst to me, at the time, the shape I had would do me no good as I started to have breathing issues in the summer months. I saw several doctors who could tell me there was a problem, but I never got a clear diagnosis or remedy. To this day I have some issues in the warmer months, although it doesn’t seem as bad now that I live in the dry climate of Colorado. I will say though that my story is a testament to never sell yourself short just because you didn’t run very fast in high school. If you have the drive you can do wonderful things that at the time you may think you could never do. Keep at it and find someone you trust to guide you along the way.

CM: You’ve had some success at coaching some very talented high school runners while you were training and qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Trials. Can you list some of the runners you helped train?

JS: The kids I’ve had the opportunity to help are some of my favorite people I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. Zach Tennant, Dayton McVicker, Colin Radabaugh, Josh Feathers, Travis Mersing, Neil Bland, Jordan McDonald, Patrick Stanton, and John Gullion. And to the many others I’ve guided in West Virginia.

CM: What do you do now?

JS: Currently I live in Denver, Colorado where I am in grad school. In my spare time, I run and still race occasionally. I will always be a runner at my core. I plan on training and racing as long as I can.

CM: Who would you contribute your success to?

JS: My success comes in part to several people. I credit my brother Justin for being such a dedicated runner. He gave me something to strive for when I didn’t understand the sport.

I credit my parents for letting me train and not work in high school. They are the most supportive two people in the world.

I credit my accomplishments and times to my Coach Sean Cleary, who always had my back and whom I would have walked through fire for. As I always say to young runners; find the coach you will walk into battle with, no matter the enemy. It’s with this person whom you will have all your successes.

I credit the runners before me such as my idol, Chris Fox. He gave me something to shoot for and I always respected him as a runner, person, and coach. One time he told me that if someone was to break his all-time WV 10k time, he would be glad if it was me. He may not have known it then, but that little chat we had on the track in North Carolina meant the absolute world to me.

I was a very private runner as a Pro and it was within my small group of Sean, my brother Travis, and my manager Paul Mascali that I found great strength and support. I cherished every minute I was training with these people. I hope the experience was as important to them as it was and always will be to me.

Thank you for your time Josh!

By Coach Mike McMillion (12/01/17)

mgmcmillion@aol.com