Sunday, November 9, 2025
Seaford resident Ryan Clifford ran his way into the record books this month, completing the 572-mile stretch of the Empire State Trail from Buffalo to Brooklyn in just over eight and a half days.
Clifford, 28, was honored by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman at an Oct. 16 news conference at the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building in Mineola.
A graduate of MacArthur High School in Levittown, Clifford thanked his family and friends for supporting him on what he called “a big journey,” which took him eight days and 13 hours, shattering the previous record of nine days, 11 hours, set in May 2024 by Matthew VosBurgh, a New York City-based ultramarathoner.
“I fought through a lot of different tough conditions,” Clifford said, “but it was really cool to be able to do it and set the fastest known time that, of course, is being recognized here by the county.”
Clifford began his journey on Oct. 6 in Buffalo, on the western end of the Empire State Trail, a 750-mile route that stretches across New York from Buffalo to New York City and north to the Canadian border. The trek was anything but easy — he ran through hazardous conditions, from unseasonably hot fall weather to a nor’easter that drenched the region over Indigenous Peoples Day weekend.
Clifford averaged about 70 miles a day, spending 12 to 16 hours running. He went through several pairs of running shoes and kept himself fueled with foods high in protein and carbohydrates. He typically slept about six hours a night before starting his runs at 6:30 or 7 a.m. For the first five nights, he bunked in a converted RV camper, and then stayed at hotels and even at his grandmother’s house in Poughkeepsie.
When he crossed the Brooklyn Bridge on Oct. 14, he said, he felt a sense of relief at not having to run any farther.
“It was good to just stop and reflect on the fact that all the work that was put in and what I had set forth was able to be accomplished,” Clifford said.
At last week’s news conference, Blakeman presented him with a citation and declared Oct. 16 “Ryan Clifford Day” across Nassau County.
Clifford’s crew chief, Cody Oher, supported him throughout the journey, helping manage his health, food and supplies. The two have been friends for more than a decade, and own a business together, Escape Room and Lounge in Westbury.
“It’s just crazy to see that level of commitment from a human being and to really push limits and do that,” Oher said.
This wasn’t Clifford’s first attempt at the Buffalo-to-Brooklyn record. He tried it three years ago, but was sidelined on the sixth day by a swollen shin.
“When I got hurt, I was really frustrated,” he recalled. “The last couple of years I’ve been wanting to come back to the trail.”
Clifford began training for this attempt at the record in August, starting with 50 miles a week and gradually increasing to 200 miles a week. His father, John, joined him for the final three days, mixing running with biking. John said he never doubted his son would reach the goal, though the physical and emotional challenges were intense, and included exhaustion, blisters and stomach issues.
“Any time any runner does something like this, something different is going to happen,” John Clifford said, “whether it’s your stomach or your feet or your hamstring.”
Ryan’s mother, Cheryl, said she was proud of her son’s accomplishment but also relieved it was over.
“I’m very proud, but glad he’s done, because I just worry about him,” his mother said. “He’s out there in the elements and running all day.”
Ryan has competed in numerous other long-distance races, including the 2019 Cayuga Trails 50 Miler in New York, where he finished fourth despite nearly 8,000 feet of elevation gain and scorching heat. In the End Trails 12-Hour Race in North Dakota that year, he finished 80 miles in freezing temperatures and won easily.
He has also supported numerous charitable causes with his running. In 2020, he completed a solo 131-mile run the length of Long Island, from Montauk to Brooklyn, in just over 21 hours, raising more than $14,000 for the John Theissen Children’s Foundation, a Wantagh-based nonprofit that helps sick and underprivileged children.
“It was really cool to be able to do that and run with a purpose other than just running,” he said.
Clifford described the mental challenge of ultra-running, saying the hardest part is pushing through long days of running and the repetitive grind, constantly battling fatigue and playing a “mental mind game” to keep moving toward his goal. His mantra as he ran across the state this month, he said, was, Just keep moving forward.
“Even if it was just walking, you’re going to get close to the destination as long as you keep moving forward,” he said.
For more information about Clifford’s accomplishments, visit his website, Ryanontherun.com.
