Firefighter who served at Ground Zero runs Fort Worth Stockyards race in full gear to honor the fallen

Cowboy hats and longhorns aren't the only things you'll see in the Fort Worth Stockyards this weekend.

"It's a 5K, it's a 3K, it's the Ariat PBR Boot Trot," said Rob Verhelst.

"Fireman Rob" Verhelst will be running in the annual event – and you'll probably notice him if you go.

"I started racing in my fire gear. It wasn't a great idea because it was hot, it was heavy," said Verhelst.

Honoring a day that changed everything

But Verhelst doesn't do this for fun. He gears up to honor and remember the day that shaped the rest of his life.

"On September 11th, I was working at the firehouse that morning. On the radio, I heard the trade towers had been hit," Verhelst remembers. "Got a call from the rescue team I was a part of that said, 'Hey, can you get here? No planes are going, so I had to drive out there. Drove out there and went to work on the pile.'"

When he arrived at Ground Zero, the scale of devastation was overwhelming.

"I got out there, it was, it was a different world. I'm 48 now and it still, still gets to me in those moments," he said.

Carrying the weight of memory

While he was surrounded by death and destruction, Verhelst said he also saw moments of humanity and resilience in the rubble — flashes of light in the darkest place he'd ever been.

"A lot of those demons, darkness still live with me today, and I'm sure there are many people across the country who have the same feeling, but if we think about it, we can find a little light in that darkness," said Verhelst. "One of my best friends, he worked for the Chicago Fire Department, Dave Meyer, died in the line of duty. He was with me at 9/11 and every morning, every morning on September 11th. So I don't have that. But I do have my family, the people that support me, and I have a belief that tomorrow will come. I'm going to fight for those."

Running for those who can't

So when you see Verhelst running in his gear, he's running for Dave. He's running for the people we lost that day. But more importantly, he's running for every one of us who's still here.