Running on: Tunnel to Towers back in full stride
with annual 5K honoring 9/11 first responders
BY DEAN MOSES
Thousands retraced the fi -
nal footsteps of deceased
New York City Firefi ghter
Stephen Siller — one of the 343
fi refi ghters killed in the Sept. 11,
2001 terrorist attacks — during
the annual Tunnel to Towers
Foundation run/walk on Sept. 26.
The annual event was back
on in full scale after public participation
was cancelled in 2020
due to the COVID-19 pandemic;
members of the Siller family kept
the tradition alive that year in a
joint walk through the tunnel
with the MTA.
Sunday’s run/walk raised
funds for the Tunnel to Towers
Foundation, the nonprofi t
founded by Firefi ghter Siller’s
brother, Frank Siller, provides
assistance to fi rst responders and
their loved ones.
On the morning of Sept.
11, 2001, Firefi ghter Siller ran
through the Hugh Carey (Brooklyn
Battery) Tunnel, carrying 60
pounds of equipment for 3.4 miles
to the World Trade Center site,
where he perished in the collapse.
“Today we are all here together
retracing heroic footsteps,” said
FDNY led the Tunnel to Towers annual 5K run/walk on Sept. 26.
Jeanna Dellaragione, executive
vice president of the Tunnel to
Towers Foundation. “It’s such a
beautiful day where we honor the
sacrifi ces of our heroes that give
us our freedom and they fi ght for
our country and our communities
every day putting their lives
on the line. We just want to give
back and honor them.”
Commencing on Sunday
morning at Van Brunt Street and
Hamilton Avenue in Brooklyn,
some 30,000 joggers signed up
to dash to the fi nish line on Vesey
and West Streets in Lower Manhattan,
including an abundance
of fi refi ghters who slogged forth
in their helmets and bunker gear.
The event kicked-off in several
parts, with the early walk and
run with heroes injured in the
line of duty followed by NYPD
runners led by top cop Police
Commissioner Dermot Shea,
who told amNewYork Metro that
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
the journey was an emotional one
for him.
“It certainly is, but especially as
you come through the tunnel and
you see members today holding
the pictures and you put yourself
in that place where those members
running through that tunnel
was just really emotional,” Shea
said. “It’s really important that
we never forget the sacrifi ce of
those that have come before and
Tunnel to Towers is such a great
organization that doesn’t forget
and puts its money where its
mouth is and takes care of families
of police offi cers, fi refi ghters,
and servicemen. I’m eternally
grateful for them.”
Before the firefighters assembled
on the starting line, the
fi rst responders formed up for the
unveiling of a sculpture by Staten
Island artist Scott LoBaido. Depicting
an NYPD offi cer and a
fi refi ghter clutching one another,
the pair knelt at the remnants of
the collapsed Twin Towers of the
World Trade Center as smoke
bellowed around them.
With this striking image
fresh in their minds, a battalion
of FDNY members started the
marathon with thousands of other
participants following swiftly
behind them.
Aleksa Klimas-Mikalauskas
donned her full fi refi ghter uniform
as she participated in the
run in honor of all of those before.
“It honors all of the people
that inspired a whole generation
of fi rst responders to do what they
are doing,” Klimas-Mikalauskas
said. “That was what we saw as
we became adults. It was our
inspiration.”
Governors Island will be open to public year-round
BY BEN VERDE
Governors Island will remain open
to the public year-round for the
fi rst time in its history as a public
space, City Hall offi cials announced Sept.
28.
The island — located in New York
Harbor roughly 400 yards from Brooklyn
and 700 yards from Manhattan with
ferry service from both boroughs — is
normally only open from May to October,
but will become a winter oasis
this year as the city recovers from the
pandemic.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has created
an unprecedented opportunity to reimagine
public space in this city – and now, we’re
proud to keep the crown jewel of our harbor
open to New Yorkers all year round,”
said Mayor Bill de Blasio.
The mayor announced that New York
City ferry service will be expanded to stop
Governors Island will remain open year round.
at Governor’s Island daily, with the island
staying open from 7 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. The
park will also expand its cultural offerings
FILE PHOTO
when the mercury drops, according to City
Hall offi cials.
The NYC Ferry will provide access from
DUMBO, Red Hook, and Brooklyn Bridge
Park in Brooklyn, and the Lower East Side
in Manhattan.
The fi rst spot of land in New York to
be occupied by Dutch settlers, Governors
Island was used for military operations
starting around the Revolutionary War and
ending in 2003 when the federal government
transferred the land to New York for
use as a public space.
Since then, it’s earned a reputation as
one of New York’s most dynamic green
spaces, unique in its status as a full island
dedicated parkland, with art galleries, food
trucks, a high school, and an in-the-works
climate center.
“This announcement is an exciting moment
in realizing our vision to increase
equitable access to this remarkable resource
and is an important step in realizing
Governors Island’s full potential,” said
Clare Newman, President of the Trust for
Governors Island.
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