Inaugural race honors Tillman

By Nicole Saidi, For the Tribune

Friday, April 22, 2005

Thousands of sweatsoaked runners and walkers saw their drenched faces projected onto JumboTron screens Saturday as they streamed into Tempe’s Sun Devil Stadium at Arizona State University.

Several ASU football players were there to greet them as they finished the final stretch of the inaugural Pat’s Run, honoring former Arizona Cardinals and ASU football player Pat Tillman, who was killed April 22, 2004, while serving in the Army in Afghanistan.

Tillman’s death inspired race director Terry Edinger, 44, of Chandler, to create Pat’s Run. Edinger said he got the idea for the race "a couple minutes after (Tillman’s) passing."

A fitness trainer, Edinger had helped Tillman train for a marathon during his first year on the Cardinals’ roster. Edinger said he remembers Tillman as a generous, caring person who gave his life for his country. The race, he said, would give others a chance to remember Tillman.

"I wanted to give people a chance to celebrate Pat’s life," Edinger said. "This isn’t a funeral. This is a chance to get living and get off your duff."

The more than 5,200 participants in the race raised more than $125,000 for the Pat Tillman Foundation, which provides leadership programs at ASU. Pat’s Run consisted of 4.2-mile running and walking events and a 0.42-mile kids’ run. Tillman wore No. 42 on his jersey at ASU, inspiring the race lengths.

A separate silent auction raised more than $25,000, Edinger said.

J.R. Rosania, a 46-year-old fitness trainer from Phoenix, accompanied Tillman’s mother as she walked around the track in honor of her son. Rosania said he once helped Tillman train for a half-Ironman triathlon and spent four months in 2003 helping Tillman train for boot camp.

Rosania formed a group of 16 athletes called JR Ironman, which has raised about $100,000 for the Pat Tillman Foundation by participating in local athletic events including the Arizona Ironman Triathlon on April 9. The group members also raced in Pat’s Run in honor of Tillman.

Rosania said he last saw Tillman two weeks before he left for the military, and described him as a kind person.

"Probably the thing that stands out the most was he was . . . always concerned about other people," Rosania said. "He was the kind of guy that made friends. If you knew Pat, because of the way he was, he made you want to be a better person."

Jeff Kysar, 32, of Gilbert, a former ASU left tackle who was a senior on the team when Tillman was a freshman, said he took his son, Evan, to the kids’ run to celebrate "what (Tillman) stood for, and about the things he believed in and unfortunately dying for that reason."

"It’s the least we can do to raise a little money," Kysar said.

Eric Collofello, 20, an ASU student, joined some friends in painting their faces and bodies maroon and gold, ASU’s school colors, for the race. Collofello said he wanted to inspire others in the event so it will improve next year.

"(Tillman) was a great guy and an American hero," Collofello said. "It’s fun to support him. If people see us having fun and stuff, they’ll have fun too and (Pat’s Run) will get bigger."

Keith Walters, an Army reservist, was the winner of the race. The female winner was Jessica Crate, an ASU student from Tempe.