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17,000 run to honor Tillman
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A young runner gets a high five from ASU football player Thomas Altieri as he makes his way towards the finish line at the end of Pat's Run in Tempe Saturday morning. Over 14,000 participates walked or ran the 4.2 miles in honor of Pat Tillman a former ASU and Arizona Cardinal football player.
Darryl Webb, Tribune
There were as many reasons to run the race as there were people in it, but in the end the main purpose for all involved seemed to be the same: to pay tribute to Pat Tillman. About 17,000 people participated in Saturday's fourth annual Pat's Run, held next to Sun Devil Stadium and finishing on the 42-yard-line of the football field.
SLIDESHOW: View photos from Pat's Run
SLIDESHOW: View photos from Pat's Run in Afghanistan
Soldiers honor Tillman with their own Pat's Run
Some ran, some walked but all were on hand to honor the former Sun Devil and Arizona Cardinal player killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan.
"It was a tremendous day," said Perry Eddinger, race director. "There are nervous times leading up to the day, but in the end it gets a little emotional. To see this many people ... it makes it all worth it."
Eddinger said there were 14,000 entrants prior to Saturday, and based on what he saw and the number of T-shirts remaining, he thought the final number was more than 17,000. Last year, 13,000 participated in the event.
Proceeds from the race go to the Pat Tillman Foundation.
The event has grown from 5,500 in 2005 and Eddinger said he feels it could handle 20,000. "With the help of the city of Tempe with road closures, we could handle more people," he said.
Eddinger said there were more vendors in the post-race expo as well as an expanded kids zone. "We want people to come out, run and stay for a while," he said.
Phoenix residents won the overall titles in the men's and women's divisions. Katie Ellis took the women's championship, covering the 4.2-mile course in 24 minutes, 52 seconds.
Alan Walker won the men's race in 21:08. Walker, who coaches cross country and track at Greenway High School in Phoenix, placed second a year ago and likes the race because of its unique distance.
"There are so many good causes out there, but this one is special to everyone around here," he said.
The race may not have been any more special than it was to Brandon Mendez, a lance corporal in the U.S. Marines who completed his first race for the Challenged Athletes Foundation. Mendez ran the race a day before his "birthday." Only this birthday is the anniversary of the day he lost his left hand to a suicide bomber while serving in Iraq.
"I call it my 'birthday' because it started my second life," Mendez said. "To be here with this many people is incredible. After what Pat did, how could I let my situation stop me? This is all about giving back to those who have given to us."
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