Q: Tell me a little about yourself (where you’re from what you’re doing now…etc)
A: My name is Ryan Rafferty. I was born and raised in Spearfish South Dakota, and got into running when I was in about 4th grade. I enjoy being outdoors whether it be snowmobiling, rock climbing or camping. I also enjoy spending time with my friends and family.
Q: How long have you been running and how did you get started?
A: My first ever track meet was the Hershey’s Track meet in Belle Fourche. Since then, I have enjoyed running track through Middle School and High School. Next year, I will be competing with Black Hills State University’s track and field team.
Q: Would you rather run with a group or alone?
A: I personally enjoy running with a group so I can pace myself with other people and push myself to go harder.
Q: Do you prefer roads or trails?
A: I enjoy running on roads more because I have never really ran on trials.
Q: What is your favorite distance or race?
A: My favorite distance to run in track is the 800.
Q: How do you stay motivated when you don’t want to run?
A: To stay motivated I think about my previous races and how I can train differently in order to do better.
Q: What do you find to be the most rewarding/inspiring thing about running?
A: The most rewarding thing I find about running is seeing how far you can push yourself. In track, you have to push yourself to the max and give it all you got to win.
Q: Tell us a little trivia about your running?
A: If I had to choose between running on a hot, cold or windy day, I would always choose cold. It is easy to make your body warmer but almost impossible to cool it down. And no one ever liked running in the wind.
Q: What is your favorite running memory?
A: I have two favorite running memories. One of them is placing 3rd in the 4×800 relay at state my junior year. My other favorite running memory would be running the 4×800 my senior year in my cap and gown. We had a really good chance at winning state in that event this year before COVID cancelled our season, so we decided to run one last relay together for ourselves, our coach and our parents.
Q: If I didn’t run I’d….
A: If I didn’t run, I would focus a lot more on a different aspect of exercise. Exercising and being active is a big part of my life so I would have to keep doing something otherwise I’d go crazy.
Q: Do you have a pre-race ritual?
A: In high school, my pre-race ritual was to get a good warm-up, drink my EdurElite, talk to my coach and think about how I’m going to run the race.
Q: What are your future running goals?
A: My goals include running well and continuing to push myself every day to get better.
Q: Tell us something about yourself we might not know?
A: I am the only person in my family to compete in college track.
Q: What advice do you have for new runners?
A: If I were to give advice to a new runner, I would tell them to stick with it and don’t give up when you get tired. Keep pushing yourself and stay healthy. If you have a small injury, don’t ignore it and get it taken care of. Maybe the most important piece of advice, drink EndurElite before every race!