TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — The room intimidates whether it's the first gathering or the 20th, so much intellect, achievement and initiative squeezed into a confined space.
The uneasiness begins to peel away during initial conversations, then dissipates more during the 1-mile walk to the start of the race.
By the time the Tillman Scholars reach the Pat's Run start line, there's an ease, a comfortable feeling that they're among peers, like-minded people who uphold the values of the race's namesake, NFL player-turned-Army Ranger Pat Tillman.
“I had major imposter syndrome after getting selected to this program,†said Jason Williams, a Tillman Scholar and doctorate candidate at UCLA working on reimagining raw materials for the health and wellness industry. “I looked at a lot of their profiles and it just seemed like every person was like a superhero, but when you actually get there, not only are they amazing on paper, they’re amazing people. I don’t know what they do in their selection process to find these people.â€
Pat's Run began in 2004 as a way to honor the legacy of Tillman, who walked away from a multimillion-dollar NFL career to serve his country in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. The run, which started as a gathering of friends following his death in Afghanistan by friendly fire, has blossomed into 4.2-mile run/walk — Tillman's number was 42 — that draws 30,000 people to the desert every year.
The Tillman Scholars program was created in 2009 to support active-duty service members, veterans and military spouses in their academic pursuits. The race serves as a fundraiser for the scholars, a 1,000-member tribe of uber-achievers who embody the leadership and selflessness Tillman exhibited.
The two connected worlds mesh in person every year at Arizona State University, where 28 of the 50 Tillman Scholars at the run serve as corral leaders and help urge runners across the final 42 yards of turf to the finish line inside the football stadium where Tillman once played.
“It’s this almost kind of a coming home right to where it all started,†said Katherine Steele, CEO and a Tillman Scholar. “We’re here as Tillman Scholars because Pat lived, so to be able to be a part of it and be embedded with 30,000 people, in those corrals is special.â€
Tillman had a passion for excellence, leadership, humility, belief that everyone should strive for something bigger than themselves.
The Tillman Scholars reflect those values with their achievements and connections to their communities — 23% have master's degrees, 21% medical degrees, 19% Masters of Business Administration and 15% doctorates.
They are doctors, CEOs, lawyers, scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs. Some dedicate their lives to helping veterans, tackling public health issues at home and abroad, and affecting policy change.
All give back in some aspect: serving on national or local boards, volunteer work, providing support for issues like homelessness and hunger. Tillman Scholar Jhay Edwards even served as a volunteer firefighter in Maryland.
“Every time I go there, it's just so energizing,†said Amber Manke, Tillman Scholar and chief of staff to the CEO of Care Delivery Markets (NY/NJ) at Optum. “That organization gave me something 11 years ago and it wasn’t just the scholarship. It was the community and the people that I’ve met along the way, the lives that have changed.â€
Serving as Pat's Run corral leaders provides the Tillman Scholars a tangible proof of the impact Tillman had on people's lives — even those born after he died.
Every year, the run draws from all walks of life; people who have never run a race in their lives, parents pushing their children in strollers, firefighters completing the course in full gear, disabled veterans willing themselves across the finish line.
The interactions at the corrals is a chance for the Tillman Scholars to hear their stories, understand why they're running, how the run fits into the bigger picture of worlds beyond their own.
“You meet service members and veterans, but other than just saying thank you for your support, you get to learn about the stories of some of the members that have served and their family have served,†said Edwards, who works at pharmaceutical company GSK to provide spaces for veteran and disabled small business owners to be a part of the supply chain. “You see how important it is for you to be there and just to represent them and their family, and the work that Pat did. It really connects.â€
Tillman connected through the life he lived. He continues to even after death, through the race and the scholars who bear his name.
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This story has been corrected to show that the first name of the chief of staff to the CEO of Care Delivery Markets (NY/NJ) at Optum is Amber, not Amanda, Manke.
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