May 4, 2006

Running for a reason

San Jose celebrates the life of Pat Tillman with inaugural Pat’s Run at Leland

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

A runner speeds across the finish line at the first annual Pat’s run on April 30, which took participants on a tour of the streets and schools, including Bret Harte Middle School, where Tillman grew up

They ran with conviction, and for a man who lived and died following his ideals.

A crowd just shy of 3,000 runners gathered at Leland High School on April 30 to take part in celebrating the life of Almaden native Pat Tillman with the inaugural staging of Pat’s Run.

For those who knew Tillman, the event was a mix of emotions, remembering not only the man he became before his untimely death, but for the person who graced the Leland High School football field as a standout athlete. Tillman died on April 22, 2004 as a member of the U.S. Army Rangers in Afghanistan, after giving up a lucrative NFL contract with the Arizona Cardinals to enlist in the armed forces with his brother Kevin.

“It actually almost brought tears to my eyes because I was hoping that we’d have this kind of turnout,” said Terry Hartke, Tillman’s former football coach at Leland. “At first, we were only looking at maybe 1,000 people, and I don’t know what the final count is, but this is just awesome. It’s a great tribute to a great person, and I’m as happy as I can be.”

Pat’s Run, which was recently held for the second year running in Tempe, Ariz., benefits the Pat Tillman Foundation and its Leadership Through Action initiative, which allows Tillman Scholars, students selected annually by the foundation, a chance to develop into America’s future leaders by finding solutions to social problems while working with community and business leaders.

Para-athlete Matt Bailey crosses the finish line of Pat’s Run in San Jose with a time of just under 25 minutes, while sporting a Pat Tillman football Jersey from Arizona State University. Bailey has participated in 25 runs in an 18-month span on behalf of a number of causes, including Pat’s Run in San Jose and Arizona.

The Leadership Through Action initiative got its start at Tillman’s Alma Mater, Arizona State University, in conjunction with the inaugural Pat’s Run in Tempe in 2005. By the fall of this year, Leadership Through Action will also find a home in South Bay high schools, which will undoubtedly include Tillman’s alma mater. Pat’s Run in Almaden Valley raised approximately $100,000 for the upcoming Leadership Through Action initiative in the South Bay.

“That was the best idea with the foundation,” Hartke said of the Leadership Through Action program. “The Leadership Through Action ideals are the only thing that Pat would support in this whole thing. I mean, he would not want to get any of the fanfare and everything else that’s going into honoring him. But for the cause itself, it’s just perfect, because that’s the kind of guy Pat was. Everybody thinks of him as an athlete, be he was a complete person, and that’s the beauty of this whole thing.”

Reminders of Pat
The event itself offered several reminders of Tillman’s life at nearly every turn.

Numerous runners wore Pat’s Run shirts with Tillman’s jersey number at Leland and Arizona State University, 42, on clear display. Tillman’s wife, Marie, also took part in the run, and was assigned No. 40 as her runner’s number, which was her late husband’s jersey number with the Arizona Cardinals.

The run itself was a 4.2-mile trek through Tillman’s Almaden neighborhood, passing by Bret Harte Middle School, which Tillman attended and where his mother, Mary Tillman, still teaches, among other old stomping grounds. In addition, the event also staged a 0.42-mile kids’ run around the Leland High School track, which is a part of the football field that bears his name, Pat Tillman Stadium. The finish line for both runs was placed at the 42-yard line of the football field.

Specialist Mark Hofacker ran the 4.2 mile Pat Tillman Memorial Run in fatigues and carried a 42-pound pack to honor Tillman who wore number 42. Hofacker, who left his job as a lawyer to join the army, said, "Pat was part of the reason I joined the army. He gave up a couple million. I can give up whatever I was doing for a couple years." Currently, Hofacker is studying Chinese at the army base in Monterey, Calif.

“He put so much of his blood, sweat and tears into the game, into Leland High School and on this field. It’s really appropriate,” Hartke said of the race’s finish line at the 42-yard line of Pat Tillman Stadium.

More than anything however, the event proved to have the draw that is “the power of Pat,” according to Alex Garwood, Tillman’s brother-in-law and the executive director of the Pat Tillman Foundation.

“There’s people from all walks of life here, literally,” said Garwood. “ … It’s hard to describe, but it’s Pat, so you expect it to be amazing, and it is.”

To that end, numerous participants from all walks of life participated in the event, either competing in the race or as one of the hundreds of volunteers who helped to put on the event.

Army Specialist Mark Hofacker showed up in the early morning hours at the event dressed in full military fatigues, intent on running the course with a 42-pound military pack strapped to his back in under 42 minutes. Hofacker, 26, said he was inspired by Tillman’s story and enlisted in the armed forces after completing law school at Rutgers University.

A runner high-fives children as he nears the finish line on the 42-yard line of Pat Tillman Stadium on April 30.

“I figured if he could give up an NFL contract, I could give up whatever I was doing,” said Hofacker, a New Jersey native who completed the run in just over 38 minutes. “Before I joined the Army I was a lawyer, I had just gotten out of law school. If he can make that sacrifice, so can I.”

Like Hofacker, more than 50 members of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department took part in the run, dubbing themselves “Pat’s Posse.” Lt. Jim Greer, a 36-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Department, said he was inspired by Tillman and participated as a way to bring Tillman’s ideals to light for the rest of Santa Clara County. Greer, who along with his wife is friends of the Tillman family, also took part in Pat’s Run in Tempe little more than two weeks before on April 15, and vows to come back year after year.

“Being at home here, in Almaden Valley, amongst 2,000 or 3,000 people, was just as inspiring and just as incredible,” Greer said. “ … In Arizona, Pat is very well known. In Almaden Valley, he’s very well known. I hope this will bring to light Pat Tillman for the rest of Santa Clara County.”

A strong contingent of current Leland athletes also took part in the run, including members of the baseball and football teams. Leland Head Football Coach Jason Tenner said it was a proud day for the school, as well as a day for the current generation of Leland athletes to learn Tillman’s principles.

Homeboy, Pat Tillman's brother-in-law, speaks to ABC News 7 about Tillman and what they hope to accomplish through his foundation.

“Everything that he stood for is what we are striving to instill in our athletes,” Tenner said. “That’s why it’s good for us to come out here and support this event.”

Inspired competitors
Inspiration was also found in the competitive runners taking part in Pat’s Run.

Tom McGlynn, the overall winner of the run with a time of 20 minutes and 27 seconds, said he wanted to take part in an event based on Tillman’s story.

“You talk about people being one in a million; I think he’s one in a billion because I can’t think of anybody else, especially in America, who would make the kind of sacrifice he did,” McGlynn said. “To me, he was just a huge inspiration.”

McGlynn, 33, walked on to the cross country and track and field teams at Penn State University in the mid-1990s and thrived, later competing in the Olympic marathon trials in 2000. The Santa Clara resident now serves as a coach for both the Nike Farm Team and Focus-N-Fly, a coaching outfit for weekend warriors.

Following his run, McGlynn said he reflected on his own life and ideals.

Children tear away from the start line at the .42-mile kids run at the Pat Tillman Memorial Run.

“After running this and thinking of Pat Tillman, you start thinking about your own life,” McGlynn said. “Am I really following my beliefs and doing the things that I feel are going to have an impact on people? It was special to me.”

The first female finisher of the run was Almaden resident Dina Rosenthal, 34, who finished with a time of 23 minutes and 41 seconds. Like McGlynn, Rosenthal said she wanted to come out and support the event because of Tillman. Rosenthal said one of the best parts of the run for her was passing by Tillman’s old school, Bret Harte.

“You got to see where Pat Tillman was raised and I think everybody that ran this race was probably thinking of him,” Rosenthal said. “I know I was, because I’m a mother and he went to help our country. You feel like you want to be part of this event, out of respect and support.”

The run also featured para-athlete Matt Bailey, who participated in the run racing in his racing wheelchair out of respect for Tillman and for his own cause, in working with the Challenged Athletes foundation.

Tom McGlynn, the overall winner of the run with a time of 20 minutes and 27 seconds, comes around the bend of the track at Pat Tillman Stadium. McGlynn posted the fastest time yet for the Pat’s run event, which has been held in Arizona two years running as well.

Bailey, who finished in just under 25 minutes, said he works with the foundation to bring awareness to people with disabilities. To date, Bailey has participated in 25 runs in an 18-month span on behalf of a number of causes. Bailey said he plans to try out for the Ironman competition in Hawaii later this year as well.

“The reason I do this is that it’s my responsibility,” said Bailey, who sported an ASU football jersey bearing Tillman’s name and number. “Pat Tillman said if you have the power to change the world, then it’s your responsibility to change it. By my racing as a middle-aged man—I’m 48 years old—I’m trying to raise awareness for other people who have disabilities, who don’t have the gumption I’ve got. If you think you have a problem, overcome it and adapt to it, that’s Pat’s philosophy. It can never be so bad, no matter how bad you think it is, because you’re still breathing. So you don’t have anything to complain about.”

For Tillman’s brother-in-law Garwood, the enormous turnout for the event was not a surprising development. Instead, Garwood said it spoke to the magnitude of Tillman himself.

“It’s a powerful thing, because you’ve got many, many people who are inspired by Pat, and today was a great chance for them to come out and learn more about him and meet with people who feel the same way,” Garwood said of the run. “ … That’s the power of Pat. I know you saw it here today, and now it’s on the rest of us and the people here who are inspired to keep it going.”

Visit www.pattillmanfoundation.org for more information on the Leadership Through Action program and/or for race results.