From Tunnel to Towers: How thousands follow in the footsteps of heroic 9/11 first responders

They ran to remember — and honor first responders for the sacrifices made on 9/11 and beyond.

Thousands of participants in Sunday’s Tunnel to Towers 5K run/walk slogged through the heavy rainfall to participate in an event that traces the footsteps of heroes lost 23 years ago this month.

Starting from near the entrance of the Hugh Carey (Brooklyn-Battery) Tunnel and ending in Lower Manhattan, the patriotic race remembers, in particular, fallen Firefighter Stephen Siller — who, after the World Trade Center was attacked on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, ran with 60 pounds of gear through the closed tunnel to the Twin Towers, where he died in the ensuing collapse. 

Twenty-three years later, first responders and those who lived through the traumatic events of 9/11 worry that the memory of the catastrophe is fading in the public’s subconscious. However, the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation — the nonprofit honoring the late firefighter and supporting first responders and veterans everywhere through charity — holds the race to ensure no one forgets Siller or the sacrifices made on that fateful day.

“I was waiting to play golf with my brother Stephen, he just finished his night tour in Squad 1,” recalled Frank Siller, brother of Stephen Siller and founder of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. “He was almost at the Verrazano when he heard on his radio that the towers were hit. He turned around because that’s what first responders do, right? That’s what our military do; they run towards the danger. And he went back to his firehouse, he got his gear. The tunnel was closed for security reasons so he steals 60 pounds to gear on his back, think about it, and he makes that heroic run, and while saving others, he gives up his life.”

Frank Siller added that since its inception the run has shown the number of participants from just a few thousand to an expected 40,000 in 2024, which for Siller shows that a whole new generation is looking to keep the memory of his brother and fellow first responders alive. 

The participants included thousands of firefighters from across the country, some of whom wore their own helmets, fire coats and boots as they retraced Stephen Siller’s footsteps.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation looks to give back to first responders by paying off the mortgages of military veterans, NYPD officers and FDNY firefighters. Most recently, the company paid off the mortgage of Officer Jonathan Diller’s Massapequa Park home. Diller was infamously shot to death on March 25, 2024 while conducting a traffic stop in Far Rockaway, Queens.

“What we’re doing is so important, taking care of all these great heroes and their families,” Frank Siller said.

Top NYPD officials also took part in the run despite the deluge. First Deputy Commissioner Tania Kinsella made the run, stating that she is doing it for those who have lost their lives due to the attack.

“The brothers and sisters that we’re honoring and running for are smiling and looking down on us, so thank you all for being here today. We pride ourselves in the NYPD and FDNY when saying when we never forget, we mean we never forget our fallen heroes. So today’s for our fallen heroes, today’s for their families,” Kinsella said.

In addition to honoring those who perished that fateful day, runners also looked to pay tribute to the men and women who have died from long-term 9/11 related illnesses.

James Campbell was a court officer on Sept. 11, 2001, and was among the first to respond to the attack. He recalled the hellish fire and the long days and nights working on the pile, while passing buckets of debris along the line. And even though his eyes welled with tears at the memory, he says the fact that he still loses friends as a result of that day is even worse.

“It happens every other day. I just heard today, one of our guys out in Queens. I didn’t know that he passed away, but he passed away from 9/11 cancer,” Campbell said. “A good friend of mine was a captain on the Statue of Liberty boat. He became a fireman, went into Harbor, ran his fourth marathon, and he came down with four stage cancer three years ago.”

The run began near the entrance of the tunnel and ended at West Street and Murray Street in Manhattan. Later, a street fair was held on Vesey Street, where runners enjoyed food and live music after their journey.