Tunnel to Towers Race Honors Efforts of Stephen Siller

Just about 25,000 runners participated in the Tunnel to Towers 5K Sunday, a run that retraces the steps of FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller on 9/11.

According to Newsday:

The event commemorates the efforts of Siller, who was on his way home to Staten Island from a shift at his Park Slope firehouse when he learned of the terrorist attacks. He couldn't drive through the tunnel, so Siller, who grew up in Rockville Centre, threw on his firefighting gear and started running.

After a fire engine picked him up about three quarters of the way through the tunnel, Siller, 34, was later killed when the towers collapsed. He left behind his wife and five children.

The run - in its 11th year - raises money for a foundation Siller's family created after his death. It supports burn victims, wounded soldiers and disadvantaged children.