Ryan Clifford is a semi-professional ultramarathon runner with years of experience as an athlete and coach. 
 

He graduated from Minot State University (MSU) with two Master's Degrees in Sports Management & Business Management (2021) with a 4.0 GPA. While at MSU, Clifford served as a Graduate Assistant Cross Country/Track & Field Coach, specializing in Men’s and Women’s distance running. Additionally, he was the team’s academic advisor.

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Clifford saw a great amount of success while coaching. He was integral in guiding Freshman Whitney Hanson to All-NSIC (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) honors in cross country, which marked the first All-Conference honor in program history. He also assisted in 10 DII era school records, one All-Time School record (Whitney Hanson in 800m), and 59 Division II era top-10 performances (25 in cross country and 34 in track and field). 

Prior to his time at Minot, Clifford competed for 4 years as a collegiate athlete at Mansfield University (Mansfield, PA) as a distance runner in both the Cross Country and Track & Field programs. While there, he saw unprecedented success as an All-PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) runner in 2017 and 2018, All-Region Honoree in 2017 and 2018, and a NCAA national qualifier in 2018 for Cross Country. He was also a two-time All-PSAC runner in 2018 in both the 3K and 5K. He was a 3-time All-PSAC runner in the spring of 2019 (5K and 10K) and was the PSAC 3K Steeplechase Champion (2019). Clifford was named a member of the PSAC Spring Top 10 for his athletic and academic successes (2019). The Mansfield Mountaineers Athletic Department also named Clifford as the Athlete of the Year for the Fall and Winter seasons 3 times, as well as the Scholar Athlete of the Year, 2 years in a row.

Beyond his impressive college athletic career, Clifford also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice and a minor in Graphic Design. Clifford finished with a 3.8 GPA (consistently on the Dean’s List) all while balancing his responsibilities as a Head Resident Assistant and Resident Assistant at the University for 3 years.

Immediately following his undergraduate studies, Clifford jumped right into his dreams of ultra-marathon running, completing the Cayuga Trails 50 Miler, in June 2019 in just under 8 hours. The course climbed nearly 8,000' of elevation in 50 miles with temperatures reaching the 80’s, causing many of the top competitors to drop out. Clifford managed to finish 4th at the USATF Trail Championships, despite the hills and weather conditions.  

He then decided to try his hand at the END TRAILS 12 Hour Race (Turtle Hook State Park, North Dakota) in October 2019. Despite the 22 degree average temperatures, Clifford managed to accumulate 80 miles, completely self-supported. He won the event by multiple laps.

END TRAILS, is what gave Clifford the final boost in confidence necessary to attempt his solo run across Long Island. Clifford successfully completed the 131 mile run from Montauk to Brooklyn and in doing so raised over $14,000 for the John Theissen Children’s Foundation (JTCF). This was a key driver in completing the run, as Clifford has provided over a decade of support to the JTCF amongst other local non-profit and charity groups, including, the Boy Scouts of America (Eagle Scout), Veterans Health Alliance of Long Island, and Island Harvest Food Bank. This echoed the fact that, while COVID made planning this event more challenging it gained even greater momentum from the local community, desperate for safe and positive engagement during such troubling times. In reflection, this run in particular will linger with Clifford as a personal and communal milestone in his athletic career and life.

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The Desert Solstice Track Invitational was Clifford's first attempt at a 24 hour run. He went into the race also aiming to PR in the 100 mile distance. Clifford took the lead 40 miles into the race against a stacked field. A faster than planned start, led to issues mid-race, causing Clifford to slow down for miles 64-70 of the course. He rallied and found a second wind soon after. Ultimately, he closed out the last 30 miles even faster than his first 30. Clifford finished at 100 miles, placing second at the 100 mile event and securing the 5th fastest 100 mile run in the United States that year