With the 15th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City, several American cities are planning a 5K walk and run designed after a run made by a Brooklyn firefighter to the World Trade Center that fateful day.
Stephen Siller ran from Brooklyn, through the two miles of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, and up to the World Trade Center to join his fellow FDNY firefighters. Siller was one of 343 FDNY firefighters to die Sept. 11. The Tunnel to Towers 5K is being held in their honor.
Siller’s family organized the first Tunnel to Towers retracing his route. And every year since, the route has been retraced by approximately 30,000 people honoring the fallen, raising funds for severely injured military personnel and promoting education of the events of 9/11.
This year, 29 cities are taking part in their own Tunnel to Towers 5Ks — including Buffalo on Sept. 10 and Rochester on Sept. 17.
Both events offer advance online registration for $25 for adults and $15 for youths age 13 – 17. Day-of-event registration is $35 for adults and $25 for kids. Children 12 and under are invited to run or walk the route without a registration fee, but they will not receive a t-shirt as their paying counterparts will.
Participants are invited to fundraise or donate more than their registration fee. Prizes are offered for different fundraising tiers — including a pretty sweet baseball cap for the $250 tier.
For more information on registration for the Buffalo or Rochester events, click the links above. For more on the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, visit www.tunnel2towers.org.
