Petition to free Austin Tice gains momentum following 5K run

A petition to free Austin Tice, an award-winning journalist and Marine veteran being detained unjustly in Syria, has gained momentum thanks in part to last weekend's virtual 5K event sponsored by the National Press Club.

The Club's petition for Tice on Change.org had garnered approximately 142,000 signatures on Nov. 7. That number had risen to 146,551 as of Friday morning, following the Club's Run for Austin on Nov. 13. Many of the participants added to their support for Tice by signing the petition, which calls on the Biden administration to make Tice's release a diplomatic priority. 

Since August the Washington Post – which also had a team for the race – has been running full page ads calling for Tice's release. Tice worked for the Post as a freelance journalist and also worked for McClatchy and CBS News.

Runners and walkers from 25 states and 4 countries laced up their running shoes for the 5K for Tice, who has been held in Syria since 2012. A total of 229 participants ran or walked 5K or more. They posted photos or their race results online and shared each other’s photos on social media with the hashtag #RunForAustin.

“This was our first virtual run, and it exceeded our expectations,” said National Press Club President Lisa Nicole Matthews. “People are hungry to want to do something to help Austin and channeling that toward running or walking is a great idea. We were really pleased with the response and grateful for the support of volunteers and staff who put together the event. The purpose was to have a strong response on social media to raise awareness of Austin’s case and that was accomplished.”

Among the participants were Austin’s family in Houston, where his mom, dad, brothers, sisters and extended family all joined in. Austin’s sister Naomi also led a large group of runners from Johns Hopkins, where she is a graduate student.

In Washington, Tice's aunt and uncle, Mary and Jay Nuckols, walked a path through the District that highlighted landmarks related to his life here.

"Mary and I walked a loop from 2900 Connecticut, where Austin lived, through Rock Creek Park, past the National Zoo and up into Adams Morgan, where we treated ourselves at Yerevan Café, in honor of Austin's sister, Naomi, who served in the Peace Corps in Armenia," Jay Nuckols said. "Fondest memory: Crossing DuPont Circle, I had a vivid recall of Austin bounding across the park towards us after a run in Rock Creek Park. Gangly and heads taller than anyone around...he stood out then...as now."

Club staff and members also ran, including member Derek Wallbank of Bloomberg News and his family, who ran in Singapore. Others ran in the UK, Nairobi and Norway. There were participants from the journalism community but also from the Marine community and Georgetown University, where Tice is currently enrolled in law school.