Posted: April 1, 2005

Triathlon: Inaugural Pat Tillman Triathlon to take place on Saturday, May 8 in Tempe

TEMPE, Ariz.-The Red Rock Company, in partnership with FOX 10, the City of Tempe and the Pat Tillman Foundation, is proud to announce that the first annual Pat Tillman Triathlon will take place on Saturday, May 8, 2005 in Tempe.

The event will serve as a benefit for the Pat Tillman Foundation (www.pattillmanfoundation.org) with all proceeds benefiting the foundation.

The event will take place at Tempe Town Lake and will feature a sprint-distance triathlon (750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike ride and a five-kilometer run) and an Olympic-distance triathlon (1500-meter swim, 40-kilometer bike and a 10-kilometer run). Entry for the sprint race will be $45 and for the Olympic-distance race will be $65, with all proceeds going to the Pat Tillman Foundation.

All athletes competing will receive a Pat Tillman Triathlon Participant special event shirt with Tillman’s number from the Arizona Cardinals (#40). The event is expected to feature upward of 1,000 athletes.

“It is fitting that people have a chance to compete in a triathlon in Pat’s honor, as Pat had completed a half-ironman triathlon himself,” said Foundation President and Pat’s Brother-in-law, Alex Garwood. “It’ll be an opportunity for folks to be inspired and act on that inspiration by swimming, biking and running.”

Following his death in April of 2004, the Tillman family and friends created the Pat Tillman Foundation in an effort to carry forward his legacy. As a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization, the Foundation's goal and mission is to carry Pat's legacy forward by inspiring people to make positive changes in themselves and in the world around them. The foundation is currently developing a leadership program in conjunction with Arizona State University.

The leadership program provides the inspiration, tools, and experience to help tomorrow's leaders identify problems and social ills that touch them, develop potential solutions to those problems, test the solutions, and ultimately implement those solutions with funding from the Foundation or community. A key element of the program is that it involves today's leaders who participate and give back by serving as instructors, mentors, and coaches...creating a network of leaders.

“The work of the Pat Tillman Foundation will help create a better world by assisting promising future leaders in taking positions of influence in society,” said Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman, “Tempe is proud to be the host city of this important, fun, and touching commemorative event.”

Sponsors for the event include FOX News 10, ESPN Radio 860, The Red Rock Company as well as the City of Tempe.

For more information on the event or to register, log onto www.redrocktriathlon.com.

For more information on the Pat Tillman Foundation, log onto www.pattillmanfoundation.org.