Pre meet with Bae

Parking garage loops

NCC Night Ops

Here there in a little little bit of everywhere

Schedule mix and mash up

Where do I even begin…First of all, before I am able to even go into my write up for this awesome adventure, I would really like to take the time to thank my wonderful support crew, family, friends, and members of the community that showed support for this event. Without any of their help to begin with, we would not be where we are now. And after all, the main point of the event was to raise money for John Theissen Children’s Foundation which is still going on and donations can be made to the foundation from my website , or on his site directly through  To Cody, Rachel, John, and Dave who spent their entire day with me, thank you! Cody served at the logistics coordinator for the run, when I could not since I was running. He was able to coordinate the logistics from making sure I was able to start at the actual Lighthouse at midnight (which they don’t do just for anyone), to driving like a crazy man on Montauk Highway to make sure I didn’t get hit, to coordinating news and media outlets day of, to making sure there weren’t protests on the Brooklyn Bridge, and pretty much every little detail in between. Rachel, my wonderful girlfriend took being a relationship with me even farther, pulled her first all nighter, aligned the volunteers up properly at each aid station, informed them of the exact time I was coming (we predicted particular times, but knew that would change according to how things went day of), put up with my mixed emotions throughout the event, forced me to drink water, rode from mile 18 to 40 with me, and so much more. John served as the beneficiary of the event, impromptu medic, hype man, and the guys that bought so much ice to cool me down. Dave did a majority of the media for the day taking awesome photos, videos, and capturing some of the rawest moments of the run. The other people that helped along the way will get shout outs during this write up as they appeared in the run. To begin, the run says that it was only 68 degrees, but as I have determined it records the temperature for when you start the run, and where the location is of where you start. It is a little in accurate for the day, but 68 with high humidity was valid for the first 4-5 hours of the day. As I mentioned about, in order to really make this experience whole and special, we wanted to make sure that we were able to start the event at the physical base of the lighthouse. It was crucial that we were able to do that, and thinking back on it now, it made the event even more special. We had a whole media plan laid out for before the event but being able to get ready by using the bathroom and such about 45 minutes before was what happened. I was fortunate enough to be able to use a real bathroom and little did I know it would be the last real bathroom I would use for the rest of the run. After using the bathroom, stretching out a tight hamstring on the left side for a bit, we made our way towards the lighthouse. We were let in the premises by the gatekeeper Joe and began snapping some promotional pictures. I said a few words on camera, time flew by, John took my vitals, and before you knew it, it was 11:57PM on Monday night. When we made our way to the base of the lighthouse, I was informed I was the furthest east most New York resident, thought wow this is kind of cool, and got my watches loaded. Many people have since asked what my set up was for the watches, and I have been telling them I actually used 3. As weird as that sounds, the Suunto Baro 9 was the watch that was used for this activity and the watch I bought for ultras because of its extended battery life. My daily training watch, the Garmin Forerunner 645 Music was used for my navigation on the route. I used this feature as a way to stay on the pre mapped course I had on Strava routes and upload the Strava Routes widget on the watch to navigate. Those were on opposite wrists. Eventually when the day went on, and we got closer to Wantagh, I gave the 645 music back to the support crew to bring to a full charge. We wanted to make sure that I had a full charge on that when we got closer towards Hempstead and I began to be less familiar with the roads. Finally, the Garmin Inreach was a little walkie talkie looking device that communicated directly with the satellites and sent blips of my location to my website for tracking every 2 minutes of the run. This allowed family, friends, and spectators to be a part of the experience despite not being physically next to me. I kept this in my side pocket of the Birddog. As the clock stuck 12, and the watches loaded, we did a few more media things before I took off. Once 12:01AM hit the clock on Tuesday morning, I was off. John started the race, and it almost felt like a passing of the torch. I ran down the steep hill of the lighthouse, made a left on Montauk Highway, and thought to myself, this is it we are doing this. After the first mile, my nerves settled down, and I got myself into my intended pace for the run which is just around 7:30-8:00 for the first 60 miles. Each mile when my watch beeped, I took some water just as a way to make sure I was staying hydrated. I took in the cool air, the breeze, and the miles just kind of passed by. Eventually we turned down old Montauk Highway after passing the town of Montauk (I made the wrong turn for a few seconds) and hopped on a nice sidewalk. At around 12:59 I took a quick pee break, and I told the support crew I was hydrated like an Aquafina water bottle. A short few minutes later around Hither Hills Campground, I had James Panetta, and Booty join me for around 3.5 miles. This was like a breath of fresh air. They were camping with their family and were all cheering for me as I passed in the middle of the night. John reminded me to keep my pace and not get too excited with them. We hovered right around 7:30ish, talked about their camping trip, the run, and some other things I can’t recall. The miles ticked away, we took a nice end picture with them, and just like that I was on my own again. At that point I had transitioned to running with traffic, since the support cars could block me. I had Cody adjacent to me, and John right behind in a secret service escort formation. We kept this formation throughout the night. During the early morning hours, I struggled with my stomach. I was able to use the bathroom a number of times, but not a lot would come out and the consistency was unsettling. You will see what I mean from my support crews poop log for me.  Early morning poop log went like this: 2:20AM poop like oatmeal, 4:30AM poop like spaghetti and meatballs with clear pee, 5:22AM poop like mashed potatoes, 6:00AM poop light, 8:34AM solid poop. It was not until I had a banana, 2 tums, many cups of ginger ale, and then some around 7:34AM that I felt better. After the poop around 8:34, I was ready to go. The miles right before the sunrise with Rachel passed by, a group cheered me on accidentally thinking I was their friend Ryan running, but after the support vehicle told them what I was doing cheered me on as they went to the neighborhood of their Hampton’s home, we played 3AM by Matchbox 20 at 3AM, and ate a bagel at 6AM, but other than that, nothing too exciting to report. After Rachel left me on the bike, and my stomach was dealing with its own Civil War, I felt like I was going through the dark ages. Let’s say mile 42-52 for that. A few miles with Cody from 52-56, and then Rick Secor joined me at mile 59. I was already getting into a better mood by mile 58, and up until mile 63 I felt like it was the enlightenment. Rick ran with me for about 2 miles and a bit, but at the mile 60 aid station some of his family was there cheering me on. It was awesome. It was the first-time people saw me and cheered me on since mile 18. I was hyped. Rick told me how crazy this feat was, and that he was so proud of me. Man, I just love Rick. After that, the miles passed by again, we hit the Bon Jovi split (@Rohl) played Livin’ on a prayer and kept pushing. Mile 70 I had John Neverka join me. This was so awesome to have him be a part of this experience and have him drive so far out of the way to see me and help me get through the next bit of miles. We ran his 9:00-9:30 pace and trucked along. We talked about travel, national parks, and he told me how proud he was of me. For someone who couldn’t feel their legs at that point, that really meant a lot. I think John did 6.5 with me, we passed the Sayville Running Company, and Brendan Barrett and someone else was out there cheering for me. That was awesome too. I waved to them, John stopped and hopped in Cody’s car, and John Theissen reconnected back with us after he lost us through the streets of Sayville. At mile 80, I was greeted by Linda, Holly an RA colleague from college, Kelly my sister, her boyfriend CJ, Margret Neverka, Gayle, and her daughter. I got my temp and vitals checked, attempted to eat a chicken sandwich to not much success, took some pictures, and continued on my way with Kelly biking. After crossing the road for a bit because of how dangerous it was, we went back to going with traffic. This was about mile 82 miles in now. This was the farthest I had ever run in one sitting. Honestly, this was the part that was the toughest in the run because I had already been up for 24 full hours and had run for 12 hours straight. It was the town of Islip. I never want to run in that town again, because traveling through it took forever. However, at this point my support crew started forcing chicken down my throat. I couldn’t eat it so BBQ sauce was acquired and I did piece by piece as I walked the streets of Islip. I knew if I didn’t eat now, then all hope would be lost for later. Pudding, pringles, a hardboiled egg, Advil, and Mountain Dew were all consumed during this stretch of walking. I thought to myself I may need to walk the rest of the way, and as long as I make it to the Brooklyn Bridge, I would be ok with that. At mile 86, I succumbed to listening to music the first time the whole run, but it was like a fire was lit under my butt. At that point the time turned from whatever it was to grind o’clock. I started cranking out miles like it was nothing. Before I knew it, I was at mile 90. I was super antsy at the aid station because I really wanted to run. We took vitals, and then we were off. The next 10 miles were definitively the best miles of the run. I was grinding the miles out just clicking away. It was like I just started running. I could not feel my legs but that did not matter. A random biker from Bellmore that was friends with John found me and joined in. A few miles later Glenn Morse joined in. We were really just cruising, and after 96 or so miles, we finally made it to Nassau County. That was a game changer. Momentum continued as the sun began to crack through the clouds. At this point into the run I was done with at least 2 gallons of water, 2 Gatorades, 50oz of soda, and the temperature had crept to 83 feeling like 86. I encroached on the town of Massapequa, a town I run in very often, and the number of cars honking for me was unreal. It was like people knew I was doing this now. The same effect bled into my hometown of Seaford, as Troop 291 held steady for the aid station. Coach Ed, John Neverka, Kelly Demeri were some of the other people there too. We took some photos, and then I had Dan Barberio, and Freddy join me running. At this point I had 3 bikers and 2 runners. Just past the aid station my family, and cousins waited. I chatted it up with them for a few and told them I would see them at John Theissen Children’s Foundation in Wantagh. Mr. and Mrs. Kind were on Merrick Road with their kids cheering me on. They were my 6th grade social studies and 8th grade math teachers respectively. Right before I turned onto Wantagh Ave, the first time I would be heading north in over 100 miles, Alex Gibbons joined in. It seriously felt like Forrest Gump. There were also people with legitimate signs that said, “Run Ryan Run.” It was sick! Gibbons left after we passed Sunrise, but then Peter Martin and San Fillipo (Coach from High School) took his spot. We came into John’s parking lot with a roar of excitement being greeted by everyone. I made sure to thank everyone for coming, because it was beyond cool that they came out for the event and took loads of photos. The lady from Madison Smoothies came from across the street told me what I was doing was really cool, and handed me a smoothie. Chicken was forced down my throat again and I tried my best to fuel up. After all that, I had my smoothie as I walked up Wantagh Ave. I thought to myself, only a marathon or so to go. Matty D, and David Samet, two high school teammates joined me for this leg. We made it to Island Ave where my Boy Scout troop meetings were held and had a great gathering of scouts cheering me on. I gave a good number of fist pounds and kept my progress. Made a left of Jerusalem and headed towards Hempstead. Matty D said I was killing him with the pace, but I guess that is what happens when you don’t run in forever. At some point we started walking for a bit so I could eat and drink, but a mile or 2 late we ran until the 110-mile aid station. We said our goodbyes and I was greeted by my next segment runners Alex Dempsey (Pole Vaulter from HS team) and Mike Petsky (runner and dads running buddy). We walked as Petsky got his things dropped off in one of the support vechiles. Once he dropped those in one of the supports vehicles and we got through the mess of roads by Peninsula BLVD and Greenwich Street, we ran. We were steady for a few miles, and then I needed to walk. After that we were running again, and before you know it we were at mile 115. This was a bad aid station for me, and a low point in the run. I was getting my vitals taken by John when I had a “Mr. Stark I don’t feel so good” moment. I held the Belmont Stakes barrier fence and became light headed. The support crew moved things off of John’s van passenger seat, blasted the AC and handed me a bag of ice to cool down. That bag of ice quickly became a bag of puke as I yacked my insides clean. That was the first time I ever puked on a run, and the first time I ever puked straight black. Yuck! The team got my face all wiped down, had me drink so much liquid, eat, and then retook my vitals. In a matter of minutes my body temp went from 95.1 from throwing up back up to 97.5. It is amazing how much water and salt you need when you run! My brother latched up my hydration bag, and we walked through towards Brooklyn with a bag of salt and vinegar chips in my hand. Mike Petsky joined in walking, and we walked for what must have been 2 hours. Mike tagged along for the adventure and that was cool to see considering he was only going to do a 5 mile leg with me. Went right through Hollis, and right through Jamaica. It was awesome. I had some more tums, salt tablets, water, Gatorade, and started feeling better. We also had 3 undercover escorts at this point which was so cool. We looked out of place, but I was only focused on making it to Brooklyn and finishing on the bridge. I passed through Forest park, used the bathroom, it was my first solid bathroom break in 11 hours, and was ready to run again. This was mile 123. The mile was actually pretty decent considering I wasn’t moving for a few minutes and then was running. I took off like a bat out of hell, threw the headphones in to be in the studio and was grinding again. My brother ran a mile or so with me, and then swapped with my dad. I was telling myself lets run a mile walk a mile. However, it turned into let’s run 1.3, walk .5, and trick myself to keep running. The sun had set at this point and we were just making our way up the streets of Brooklyn. I told my dad jokingly before the run, “No sleep till, BROOKLYN.” I kept that motto as I kept the miles coming. They weren’t the fastest miles but what can you expect this deep into an ultra. I got to Tillary Street, and at this point knew I was less than a mile to the finish. The Manhattan skyline was coming closer, and it was so beautiful being able to see it, knowing that I started the day 131 miles away, literally at the other end of the island. I took it in, the sights of the lights, the cars underneath, and ran towards the finish. I met Kevin, and Dan at the base of the bridge, and they ran with me for a few minutes. I took off once the bridge turned from concrete to the famous wood and cranked the last half mile. This was it, this is the finish! I hit 9th on the bridge segment unknowingly until Ben Drexler pointed it out and was going 5:03 pace for a little over 90 seconds. Neil and Feeney were at the end with a ribbon and I crossed the line. I stopped my watched, looked behind me, and realized I dusted Kelly on the bike (she joined the last 5 miles or so), Kevin, Dan, my dad, and Christina (she was Alex Dempsey’s friend that joined in somewhere in the early 120’s). This was it, I did it. I laid down on the bridge and listened to the sound of the cars as they passed by. I closed my eyes and took it in. They whole experience seemed surreal, but so worthwhile. Definitely a story to tell the kids. I chatted it up with the people that were at the finish, got on a few FB lives, and tried getting up. Ya, my legs were cramping, and since I ran the last 8 with bouts of walking, we didn’t have the proper things to give me at the end. My stomach was messed up a bit and I had to get up in a way which my legs stayed extended. It was quite comical. Eventually my Dad and brother walked me off the bridge back with my arms across their shoulder to stretch out my stomach to Cody’s car. If you made it this far on the read, great! Thank you to everyone that supported me on this run, as it means more than you realize. I think I really found my groove in ultra-marathon running and am so happy I was able to raise $12,000 as of now for John Theissen Children’s Foundation. The summer ultra is a grind with high temps with the real feel near 86 degrees and humidity at high 90% at many points, but it is so much more satisfying saying you did it in the summer. For anyone I didn’t mention that played a huge role in this, I am sorry there was a lot to recall and this write up has already taken 3 hours to type. I was moving for 20 hours, 3 minutes, and 57 seconds. That comes out to a moving pace of 9:12. I never stopped my watch, which is why that will be the pace I am going with for the run. I also had 170,247 steps on the run, and only had 3 minor blisters on my foot. Other than that, my feet must’ve swelled a bit because there were lace marks where my feet meet my ankle on both feet.  4 days after I can walk pretty well, and the only thing preventing me from running is a slight discomfort on the right side of my left knee. I am planning to do 10 on Sunday, but it is tentative on the knee. My mindset for this was just breaking things down piece by piece. It may have been by marathon at first, but as the day went on been by aid station, by light pole, and then by steps. The miles clicked down as the day went on. It is just a matter of believing in yourself. My gear for this was Hoka Bondi 6’s (a last minute decision but stellar choice), calve sleeves, Birddogs pants, singlet, headband, bandana, and a lot of Vaseline. Finally, people keep asking my favorite part of this and I think that my favorite memory has to be my brother dancing in the middle of Hollis Queens, with people staring at us like we are lost. 


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Ryan Clifford

Montauk Lighthouse to the Brooklyn Bridge

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Pre meet with Bae

Parking garage loops

NCC Night Ops

Here there in a little little bit of everywhere

Schedule mix and mash up

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