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Purdue student walks 100 miles to honor Tyler Trent; raises $20K for cancer research

Liz Roscher
·Staff writer
Tyler Trent died in January after a battle with cancer, but the Purdue superfan inspired a fellow boilermaker to walk 100 miles to raise money for cancer research. (Getty Images)
Tyler Trent died in January after a battle with cancer, but the Purdue superfan inspired a fellow boilermaker to walk 100 miles to raise money for cancer research. (Getty Images)

Purdue student Aaron Lai finished a 100-mile journey on Tuesday. He walked from West Lafayette to Bloomington, Indiana, suffering a pulled hamstring and numerous blisters along the way. The last ten miles were particularly painful, but Lai kept going by reminding himself what Tyler Trent would do: keep fighting.

Lai called his 100-mile journey his “Walk for Tyler Trent,” the inspirational Purdue superfan who died in January after a long battle with cancer. He raised over $20,000 for the Tyler Trent Cancer Research Endowment via GoFundMe, which is where he revealed why Trent’s story inspired him to take the walk.

Tyler Trent reminded me of my Grandfather who had lung cancer. My Grandfather lived on his own terms despite the terminal illness and never gave up the fight. Going to the same school with Tyler and seeing his tremendous spirit and energy motivated me to plan this event.

Lai talked to local news station Fox 59 about his walk, which took nearly three days, and described the final 10 miles thusly: “It’s like walking on coals, every step is like walking on coals.” Lai tweeted that he actually ran the last six miles instead of walking, thinking about his grandfather and Trent the entire way.

Lai had chosen Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall as his finish line, where the Purdue men’s basketball team was facing Indiana University on Tuesday night. And when Lai arrived at his chosen finish line, Tony and Kelly Trent, Tyler’s parents, were there to congratulate him.

Both Kelly and Tony were honored by Lai’s tribute to their son.

“To know his legacy is living on and continuing to inspire people even after his passing, words are inadequate, they really are,” Kelly told Fox 59.

What did Lai do when he was officially done with his walk? He didn’t sit in a chair and demand that his friends carry him everywhere for the next week (though after walking 100 miles, who could blame him). Instead he treated himself to the Purdue-Indiana basketball game, which Purdue won 48-46.

Lai said he was overwhelmed by all the love and support he received from the Trent family, from his fraternity brothers and fellow students, and even from people who gave him a few horn honks when they saw him walking. He told Fox 59 that he’s already planning to do the 100-mile walk again next year, but with one change: to avoid injuries and that “walking on coals” feeling, he’ll do some training before he sets off.

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