ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. – As a way to honor and remember the legacy of those who lost their lives responding to the tragedies on 9/11, Tunnel to Towers held its annual 5K on Saturday.
Runners of all ages, even some who weren’t alive on 9/11, ran in honor of the first responders who gave their all.
For the last 12 years, Tunnel to Towers has held a 5K here in Central Florida.
The event originally started in 2002 in New York to honor the life of Stephen Siller, an FDNY firefighter who ran three miles through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel on 9/11 in full gear to get to the Twin Towers to help save lives.
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Vicki Casas, with Tunnel to Towers, hoped people would appreciate the sacrifices made by first responders after Saturday’s race.
“I want them to realize, they go out every day — whether they are a firefighter, a police officer, even our military — and they put their lives on the line and I think this is a day to honor them,” Casas said.
First responders like Harley Gaines with the Seminole County Fire Department will typically run the race in full gear.
“It just puts it into perspective what they did, and what they had to go through,” Gaines said.
Several police officers also ran in Saturday’s race.
John Napolitano is an officer with the Orlando Police Department. Prior to being a police officer, he said he was part of the first class hired with Orange County Fire Rescue after 9/11.
Nearly 23 years later, he remembers the moment the Twin Towers were struck.
“I remember getting a phone call from a friend I worked with who happened to be from New York and I thought he was kidding, I thought he was kidding,” Napolitano said. “He was like, ‘No, turn on the TV,’ and I don’t think I left my living room for the day until I had to go to work.”
Napolitano said it was special to see kids who weren’t alive when 9/11 happened participate in Saturday’s race.
“It means that my generation, and the generation after, is educating the youth with what it means to support your country, support your community, and support your first responders,” Napolitano said.
Organizers said over 1,500 runners participated in this year’s race.
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