9/11 memorial walk, run in NYC: Tunnel to Towers

NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) – Thousands of people on Sunday traced the route of an FDNY firefighter who died during the 9/11 terror attacks.

The 23rd annual Tunnel to Towers 5K Run & Walk kicked off in Brooklyn on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Participants retraced the final footsteps of Stephen Siller, an FDNY firefighter who died during the rescue.

The event — which has grown from just 1,500 participants in its first year, saw runners, walkers, first responders, and veterans — goes from the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, passing through the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel, to Lower Manhattan.

The route symbolizes the path taken by Stephen Siller, who strapped 60 pounds of gear to his back and ran through the tunnel to save others on September 11, 2001. The run also honors the other 343 firefighters, 23 NYPD officers and thousands more who died on 9/11.

Frank Siller, Stephen’s brother and CEO of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, emphasized the event’s significance.

“We made a promise that we will never forget the sacrifice that was made 23 years ago,” Siller said.

The event brought together people of all ages, including 17-year-old junior firefighter Madison Lambertz, who participated with her father.

Despite not being alive during 9/11, Lambertz recognized the importance of honoring its legacy.

“What we’re able to do now is just something beautiful out of something that was so terrible,” Lambertz said.

This year’s event paid special tribute to families of fallen first responders who have received mortgage-free homes through the Tunnel to Towers Fallen First Responder Home Program.

After the run, country music singer Tyler Hubbard performed a concert on Vesey Street.

For more information, visit Tunnel to Towers’ website.

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