20th Annual Tunnel To Towers 5K Run And Walk Kicks Off From Brooklyn To Manhattan
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Tunnel to Towers 5k Run and Walk was back on Sunday after being canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic.
About 30,000 people are participated in the event that took them from Brooklyn to Manhattan.
The group retraced the final footsteps of FDNY Firefighter Stephen Siller, who died on 9/11.
Siller raced on foot through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to get to the Twin Towers, carrying 60 pounds of gear on his back.
His memory lives on through the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which hosts the event. The nonprofit helps the families of first responders.
"I know how much of a sacrifice they made 20 years ago, so it's a real honor to be able to run this in my gear for them," said Liz Walker, of Fairfax County, Virginia.
"We came out here to support everybody. We love our first responders," another participant said.
One of the participants, Peter Familia, ran in honor of his mother, NYPD Officer Miosotis Familia. She was shot and killed four years ago in the Bronx while sitting in her police car.