Tunnel to Towers Climb returns to NYC's One World Trade Center in annual tribute to 9/11 heroes
MANHATTAN, New York (WABC) -- More than 1,2000 runners put on their sneakers to participate in the annual Tunnel to Towers Climb in New York City on Sunday morning.
This year, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation is marking the event's ninth anniversary at One World Trade Center, which honors the lives of 9/11 first responders.
As part of the tradition, participants scale the 104 stories of the One World Observatory. The first wave of runners began their ascent at 5 a.m. and finishers got to enjoy a sunrise panoramic view of Lower Manhattan.
"I've been doing this seven or eight times now from the first year that they ran it, super meaningful event. It's a great way to give tribute to people who sacrificed a lot," said David Roeske, who finished second. "So, it's a super fun event, really inspiring and it's really hard too. It's a really great thing to keep coming back and doing every year.
Among those being commemorated during the event include FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller and FDNY Captain Billy Burke.
Siller had just finished his shift with FDNY Brooklyn Squad 1 and was on his way to meet his brothers when he got word of the attack. He quickly changed course and drove his truck to the entrance of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, where he strapped on 60 pounds of gear and raced through the tunnel to the Twin Towers and sacrificed his life to save others.
Stephen's brother, Frank Siller, is the CEO of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
"Stephen was the youngest of seven of us and he inspired his oldest siblings to do good. This is good and the work we're doing is good," he said. "The significance of coming up here is so important to remember. To me, this is the freedom tower, it was built to remember those who gave their lives on 9/11, and to be here and still celebrate their lives and to honor for what they did that day means the world to me."
Meanwhile, Burke's brothers were among those who participated in the event and completed the climb together.
Captain Burke and his men were on the 27th floor of the North Tower when the South Tower collapsed. He helped alert a fellow fire captain and officer, part of his original company, so that they could evacuate their crew and the civilians they were assisting, all of them surviving. Minutes later, the North Tower collapse and Burke died along with countless others.
"My brother Billy, on that day, he told his men to 'keep going, I'm right behind you,' and so that's what I was thinking going up those stairs. Just keep going, keep going, don't quit," one of Burke's brothers told Eyewitness News.
Money raised from the event will go toward helping injured veterans and first responders.
You can read more about the organization's mission on the Tunnel to Towers Foundation website.
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