25,000 Expected For Tunnel To Towers Run Sunday
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A heroic firefighter will be remembered this weekend with a charity run through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel.
The Tunnel To Towers 5K Run and Walk will be held Sunday morning.
The run follows the footsteps of firefighter Stephen Siller. On Sept. 11, 2001, Siller abandoned his truck and ran through the tunnel with all his gear toward the World Trade Center. He was killed when the South Tower collapsed.
When the annual Tunnel to Towers run started in 2002, the goal was simple: "We cared about making sure that we never forgot," said Frank Siller, CEO of the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
The event had humble beginnings -- in its first year, there were about 2,000 participants. This year, Frank Siller, Stephen Siller's brother, is expecting more than 25,000 runners.
LINK: More on Tunnel to Towers Run
"We're sitting back, and we're saying, 'Oh my goodness, look what this has become,'" Frank Siller told WCBS 880's Peter Haskell.
Money raised by the run is used to build smart homes for veterans who are triple and quadruple amputees.
"I can't explain to you, but it gives them back their independence," Frank Siller said.
There are 36 homes that have been built or are in the works.
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