Runners Laced Up For A Cause At "Tunnel To Towers" 5K
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) -- Locals laced up their running and walking shoes Saturday in support of our nation's first responders and service members at the 4th annual Tunnel to Towers 5K run in Ft. Lauderdale.
The run was patterned on an event in New York that has grown to include 20 thousand runners.
Watch Natalia Zea's report, click here.
CBS4 is a proud sponsor and anchor Rick Folbaum and Traffic reporter Vanessa Borge emceed the event.
Click here to watch Vanessa Borges' report.
The Tunnel To Towers 5K Run & Walk honors and celebrates first responders (fire, police, EMT's, paramedics) and military service personnel who serve, sacrifice and protect us every day. Proceeds benefit the most catastrophically injured personnel including quadruple and triple amputees who have made extraordinary sacrifices to defend our freedom.
The competition is inspired by the late FDNY Firefighter Stephen Siller who was off duty when he learned of the first plane hitting the Twin Towers on 9/11. He went to his station, gathered his gear and tried to drive to the scene but found the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel was closed. Undeterred, he donned his bunker gear and ran through the tunnel to reach Squad 1 at the Twin Towers. He was one of the 343 FDNY firefighters who lost their lives that day.
"That's what we're doing here," said Batallion Chief Jack Oehm. "Retracing Stephen's footsteps to remember all those that perished on 911 and make sure it doesn't happen again. Souls were murdered that day by terrorists and we can never forget what happens."
Click here to view pictures of the event.
The Ft. Lauderdale event is the 2nd largest of nine 5K events conducted across the country in support of the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
Fort Lauderdale's Tunnel To Towers 5K Run and Walk started at 7:30 a.m. at Huizenga Park.
The proceeds raised by the run, through registration fees and donations, go to the foundation in Siller's name.
Through the Building For America's Bravest program, "Smart Homes" are built for military personnel injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Smart Homes are custom designed to address the unique needs of each individual. Using "adaptive technology" these homes help these severely injured heroes' live better and more independent lives.
For more information on the Tunnel To Towers 5K Run & Walk, please visit http://www.T2Trun.org.
Celebrating our community heroes, the Ft. Lauderdale event featured a new team competition among fire stations and fire departments. Each team consisted of five runners in turn-out gear to retrace Stephen's heroic footsteps and show that their fire department has earned the honor of South Florida's "Strong as Steel" fire house! The winning South Florida fire department go to bring home the Stephen G. Siller 9/11 Steel Award, a beautifully hand-crafted award created from actual ground zero steel.
An additional challenge was also created for other first responders and military, The Stephen G. Siller Heroes Award, is a a roving award for the winning team to defend year after year.
Roads were closed down for the event but were reopened by 10:30 a.m.
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