Michael Clemons (he/him) is a resident of Louisville, KY and a long-time member of the running race management community. Michael began running in high school, completing his first half marathon in 2005 (the Kentucky Derby Festival miniMarathon), and hasn’t looked back since. He was a walk-on runner at Georgetown College, where he received a BS in International Business and Spanish. After graduating from Georgetown, Michael spent a year in Madrid, Spain on a Fulbright grant where he taught English and traveled the continent. While in Spain, Michael completed his first marathon in Barcelona (and subsequently his second marathon in Madrid six weeks later, at which point he vowed never to do two marathons that close again). Upon returning to the states in 2010, he enrolled in the Sport Administration graduate program at the University of Louisville and began to engage with the Louisville running community.

In the running industry, Michael has gained experience working a variety of events, both big and small. Locally, he has contributed to just about every major race in Louisville, cementing his role as the Mayor of Louisville Running. Outside Louisville, Michael’s connections have allowed him to work major events such as the  2022 World Athletics Championships, Chicago Marathon (where he currently serves as Finish Line Manager), New York City Marathon, Houston Marathon, and the US Marathon Olympic Team Trials. Through these race experiences, he has had the opportunity to experience a lot and grow his network. His time working races has shown that there is so much need for queer diversity on the organizational side of the industry.

Along with directing local races and working national events, Michael is in graduate school at the University of Louisville working toward a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership, with a focus in Sport Administration. He expects to graduate and become Dr. Clemons in Spring 2024. He aims to be known as the “Running Researcher,” with an emphasis on inclusion in the running industry. His dissertation focus is on LGBTQ+ participation and inclusion in running. Along with his Ph.D. program, he continues to run as a competitive marathoner and half marathoner and also is a group fitness instructor at the local Shred415 fitness studios.