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| Sarah Regnier / THE STATE PRESS |
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Runners started at 8 a.m. for the 4.2-mile Pat's Run in dedication and remembrance of Pat Tillman on Saturday in Tempe. |
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| Sarah Regnier / THE STATE PRESS |
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Phoenix resident Keith Walters, a reserve Army lieutenant, was the top male finisher in Pat's Run, clocking in at 21 minutes, 2 seconds. Dozens of ASU football players greeted an estimated 5,200 runners at the 42-yard line inside Sun Devil Stadium. |
Film freshman Kyle Hausmann-Stokes finally reached his destination Saturday morning, exhausted from a grueling run in which he wore boots and camouflage pants, toted a 45-pound military backpack and carried an 8-pound mock weapon.
Hausmann-Stokes wasn't undergoing another training mission at Fort Polk, La. He was competing in Pat's Run.
An estimated 5,200 people paid tribute to Pat Tillman by participating in Pat's Run, a 4.2-mile race that ended at the 42-yard line inside Sun Devil Stadium. Tillman wore No. 42 during his four years at ASU.
Some runners, such as Hausmann-Stokes and electrical engineering freshman Jesse Westad, wore unique attire. Others simply pinned a race bib to the front of their shirts and huffed and puffed their way to the finish line.
"If Pat were here today, his run [gear] would be twice as heavy and he probably would go down and back," said Hausmann-Stokes, who finished in 48 minutes, 2 seconds.
The top male finisher was Phoenix resident Keith Walters, a reserve Army lieutenant. He finished in 21 minutes, 2 seconds. Sophomore cross country standout Jessica Crate was the top female runner, finishing in 24 minutes, 13 seconds.
Other notable runners included football coach Dirk Koetter, who clocked in at 43 minutes, 35 seconds, and women's basketball players Jill Noe, Kylan Loney and Carrie Buckner. Noe was the 10th female finisher at 28 minutes, 28 seconds. Loney and Buckner crossed the finish line together in 38 minutes, 38 seconds.
Koetter contended that he broke the 43-minute mark. It's possible that he did, depending how far behind the finish line he was when the race started.
"My legs are a little tight right now," Koetter said. "But I've got a few months to rest up."
Senior wide receiver Derek Hagan helped man the finish line with his teammates. He noticed Koetter's slow jog across the 42-yard line.
"We saw him finish, but I don't think he wanted to see us when he finished the race," Hagan said. "It looked like he was trying to hide from us."
Noe said she didn't train for Pat's Run. She has continued to work out with head strength coach Rich Wenner, trying to recover from her second torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee.
"I thought I was going to die when I started out," Noe said. "It was so fun just to see how many people were out there. It was for a good cause, and this man [Tillman] did a lot for us."
Industrial engineering senior Patrick Sorenson, who ran in the dress shirt and tie that he wears to most ASU sporting events, felt an adrenaline rush as he plodded through the tunnel at Sun Devil Stadium.
"It was kind of uphill right at the end and kind of tough on my legs," Sorenson said. "I didn't feel it until I stepped onto the turf, and then I knew I could finish."
Three ASU students spelled out "P-A-T" in maroon and gold paint across their chests. The "P" and the "T" finished in about 39 minutes. The "A" finished 10 minutes later.
Kyrene del Sureno Elementary School teacher Gina Bertocchi, an ASU graduate, ran with more than 40 students and staff members known as the "PT Cruisers." Tillman used to read to Bertocchi's students.
"He could talk on their level," Bertocchi said. "It is kind of intimidating reading in front of a bunch of little kids. But he would sit on the floor with them and he would talk to them, and they would give him hugs."
Reach the reporter at brian.gomez@asu.edu.