The annual 4.2-mile run organized by the Pat Tillman Foundation to raise money for the Tillman Scholars program was scheduled to be held in Tempe on April 18, but it is one of many events to be canceled as part of the effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.
It isn’t going to be abandoned altogether, however. Instead of running through Arizona State’s campus, Pat’s Run will now be a virtual one with the thousands of runners that were expected to take part in next month’s event encouraged to do the run on their own and share their results over social media.
“This was a hard but necessary decision for our team, but we continue to be driven by the values, the community, and the mission that we’ve built over the last 15 years,” Pat Tillman Foundation CEO Dan Futrell said, via ESPN.com. “Prioritizing the health of our runners, volunteers, and staff is our top concern, and we’re grateful to have over 30,000 runners and volunteers who can still support our important mission by running virtually and sharing their 4.2-mile run online and cheering each other on.”
Tillman went from Arizona State to the Arizona Cardinals for a standout NFL career that ended when he joined the United States Army after the September 11 attack in 2001. Tillman was killed in action in 2004 and this was to be the 16th Pat’s Run in Tempe.