patsrun2.png

The 21st annual Pat’s Run, a 4.2-mile fundraiser for the Pat Tillman Foundation, is April 12 on the streets around the Arizona State University campus. About 30,000 participants are expected. 

The spectacle of 30,000 people running and walking the streets near the Arizona State University Tempe campus each April is hard to miss.

For 20 years, the annual Pat’s Run, in memory of former ASU and Arizona Cardinals safety Pat Tillman, has drawn a crowd. It continues to bring families and friends together as it enters its third decade on April 12.

Less visible, however, is the work behind the spectacle of the Pat Tillman Foundation, especially its Tillman Scholars program, according to foundation CEO Dr. Katherine Steele.

She would know. She received one 11 years ago before she joined the organization.

“The Tillman Scholar program is more than just a scholarship,” Steele said. “It’s an opportunity to join a community of individuals dedicated to making a meaningful difference and upholding Pat Tillman’s legacy of service and leadership.

“As a Tillman Scholar, I’ve been encouraged to lead with purpose and follow my passions, which has profoundly shaped my career and my work here at the Foundation.”

Registration ends at noon April 11 for the 4.2-mile run-walk. Registration ends at 10:15 a.m. April 12 for the 0.42-mile kids run, which is open to those ages 12 and younger. Entry fee is $25.42. To register for either, go to runsignup.com and search “Tillman.”

patsrun1.png

Pat Tillman was a U.S. Army Ranger. 

The run, sponsored by TEKsystems, begins at 7:05 a.m. at Rio Salado Parkway and Packard Drive, 5 minutes after wheelchair participants get their starting gun at 7 a.m. A 0.42-mile kids’ race is at 10.

The races end on the 42-yard line – Tillman wore jersey No. 42 for the Sun Devils – on the field at Mountain America Stadium. The honorary race starter is ASU football coach Kenny Dillingham.

Participants are advised to arrive at 6 for check-in. Limited free parking is available in ASU garages and lots, but participants are encouraged to carpool, walk, bike or take Valley Metro light rail to relieve congestion.

All participants must go through a security checkpoint. Prohibited items are bags, weapons, pets, drones, bicycles, in-line skates, skateboards, scooters and motorized vehicles.

New this year is Tillman Tailgate, an after-race gathering featuring food trucks, live music and a beer garden.

Also new is an end-of-race corral system, in which seven corrals are preassigned based on previous race finish times. It is intended to relieve logjams at the finish-line chute.

Pat’s Run is the Tillman Foundation’s largest annual fundraiser. It has awarded more than 1,000 Tillman scholarships through the years.

Steele said, “When you get selected to be a scholar the foundation invites you to the Pat Tillman Leadership Summit in Chicago, basically three days in leadership-development sessions with 150 Tillman Scholars who are your new best friends.

“I ended that weekend motivated and encouraged to do more, work harder and be better. Tillman Scholars just make you want to make an impact.”

The Pat Tillman Foundation identifies remarkable military service members, veterans and spouses, empowering them with academic scholarships, lifelong leadership-development opportunities and a diverse, global community of high-performing mentors and peers.

After the 2001 terror attacks that leveled the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers in New York City, Tillman famously turned down a new contract offer worth millions from the Cardinals.

Instead, he joined the U.S. Army with the goal of becoming a Ranger. He attained that goal and was sent to Afghanistan. In a remote area, he was killed inadvertently by friendly fire on April 22, 2004.

“This year’s Pat’s Run’s theme is Legacy in Every Stride,” Steele said. “It really honors every era of Pat’s life and legacy – his time as a Sun Devil, his time as a Cardinal and his time as a Ranger.

“People who know Pat talk about his character, and that was something that just held true for every phase of his life, and it’s what the Tillman scholars attempt to do and be the ripple effect of his legacy.”