On September 11th, 2001, New York Firefighter Stephen Siller was on his way to play golf when he got a call about the twin towers collapsing. He strapped on 60 pounds of gear to his back and raced on foot through a Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to the Twin Towers, where he died while saving others.
Today, 22 years later, runners crossed the finish line to remember his run and his legacy.
Hundreds ran in the Tunnels To Towers 5K in Florida Southwestern State College in Fort Myers, just off College Pkwy.
“We wanted to mimic what they experienced also,” said Firefighter Nicholas Classetti, with the Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District.
“You obviously miss any intensity, and possibly the fear. But those things get taken right out and you have a job to do. We do experience that. So, we wanted to show respect for that. To Come out here and come close to it,“ he said.
Classetti said he was wearing about 45 pounds worth of gear during the 5k.
“It’s more constricting. Like your body can’t breathe. You start sweating more, you start losing all your water out of your body really quick,” he said.
The race also raises money to support the nation’s first responders and their families. The race’s donation goal was $15,000. In total, the donation goal was surpassed by almost $2,000 more.
Racer Frank Vecchione was in Boston when the Twin Towers collapsed.
“I remember it was a clear day when we saw the first tower go down. Then we saw the second one go down on tv. It was just so emotional,” said Vecchione.
He says so many first responders rushed to help, and this is his way of giving back.
“It’s good to support a good cause,” he said. “I’m trying to remember and try to keep everything going.”
The post Tunnels to Towers 5K hosted by Florida Southwestern State College appeared first on NBC2 News.
