Abstract: A vehicle running board assembly comprises a pipe adapted to be connected to a motor vehicle, the pipe having an interior surface and first and second side edges defining an opening, a step pad having a contact surface contacting the first and second side edges, and a clip connected to the step pad, extending into the opening and resiliently engaging the pipe so as to resist separation of the clip and step pad from the pipe. A load is defined by the weight of the step pad and any other object on the step pad. The step pad contact surface directly contacts the first and second side edges of the pipe so that the side edges act as primary bearing surfaces for the load. The clip may have a series of retaining ribs where each of the retaining ribs are resiliently flexible around a single axis and engage the interior surface of the pipe below the single axis.