Thousands will honor fallen 9/11 heroes during 24th annual Tunnel to Towers 5K
Hosted by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, the 5K honors the first responders who sacrificed their lives as they fought to save others on Sept. 11, 2001.
Tunnel to Towers 5K honors fallen heroes of 9/11
The annual Tunnel to Towers 5K in New York City honors the first responders who gave their lives saving others on Sept. 11, 2001.
NEW YORK CITY – About 30,000 people will descend on New York City on Sunday to participate in the 24th annual Tunnel to Towers 5K.
Hosted by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, the Tunnel to Towers 5K honors the first responders who sacrificed their lives as they fought to save others on Sept. 11, 2001.
Runners and walkers will begin the course at the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, and then move through Lower Manhattan until they reach the World Trade Center – the former site of the Twin Towers.
Tunnel to Towers 5K in 2016. (Andy Katz / Pacific Press / LightRocket / FOX Weather)
The course was inspired by the journey taken by New York City firefighter Stephen Siller on 9/11, when he ran through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel with 60 pounds of gear on his back to save those trapped inside the Twin Towers.
Siller did not return home after 9/11, leading his brother Frank Siller to honor his memory by founding an organization supporting other first responders lost that day and naming that foundation after Siller’s final journey: the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
In the years since, his sacrifice – and those of the 343 first responders and thousands of civilians that day – has been commemorated by hundreds of thousands of people who have participated in the Tunnel to Towers 5K since 2002.
This year, FOX Weather Meteorologist Bayne Froney will join the ranks of Tunnel to Towers 5K runners and walkers in the Big Apple. She even joined New York State Troopers to prepare for the event.
Tunnel To Towers: New York State Troopers prepare for 5K race honoring 9/11 first responders
FOX Weather Meteorologist Bayne Froney was at Central Park training with New York State Troopers ahead of the Tunnel To Towers 5K race honoring 9/11 first responders, victims and survivors.
Proceeds from the event support the Foundation’s programs, including those benefitting first responders, and catastrophically injured service members.
Tunnel to Towers programs
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation has several programs that benefit fallen first responders.
The Fallen First Responder Home Program pays off the mortgages of homes of fallen first responders, and the Tunnel to Towers Smart Home Program builds mortgage-free smart homes for critically injured veterans and first responders.
The Gold Star Family Home Program, launched in 2018, provides mortgage-free homes to families of service members who die in the line of duty.