It was just a matter of time, and this weekend, Justus Miller is running the New York Marathon as part of Team Tillman.

Justus has taken part in the official run in Tempe the past 8 years, and last year he and his wife held their own unofficial Pat’s Run on Bonita Beach in Southwest Florida. 

“It’s always great to finish a good run at the beach,” Justus said. “I felt the need to bring Pat’s Legacy to SWFl (Southwest Florida).”

Along with raising money for the Tillman Foundation, Justus has focused on the overall awareness about who Pat was as an individual. He believes it takes a concerted effort to empower people to become leaders in society. 

Justus and his family

“There are many more members of Team Tillman that have given so much with training, fundraising, etc. all over the country. I’ve gained a greater understanding about how important the donations are to continue to build scholarship opportunities for such well deserved veterans.”

In April, Justus was supposed to run the Boston Marathon  for Best Buddies International and would have finished around the same time as the bombings occured. Since then, he has continued to focus his free time on raising awareness of national charities, both in his local community and across the country. 

“I have always wanted to be a part of the Tillman Foundation. This was a perfect time to show courage and resilience with others, and provide a service to our veterans that I have never really been involved with,” Justus said.

So this Sunday as part of Team Tillman, Justus is running the New York City Marathon along with 48,000 other people. He and his wife will meet Marie Tillman and and the Tillman team members visiting the 9/11 Memorial before the race to put things into perspective. 

His fundraising efforts for the Tillman Foundation continue until Dec. 3 and the website will remain live until then. He’s kept it simple at ten dollar donations (Tillman Ten) for people, Sun Devil or not, who would like to join this cause. 

“Pat inspired me with his “all in” attitude and passion for life. It’s time to give back to those who sacrifice everything.. both past and present”.

The New York City Marathon