On September 11, 2001 America was changed forever. It only took 102 minutes to kill nearly 3,000 innocent people. They were taken away from their friends and families in a blink of an eye as The World Trade Center became the target of a massive terrorist attack. The twin columns of glass and steel, that over the years had become a trade mark of the city, were completely destroyed when two planes flew into them.

The day of the attack firefighter Stephen Siller had just gotten off the late shift from his job in Park Slope, Brooklyn and was on his way to go play golf with his brothers when his radio went off saying the first plane hit the Twin Towers. When Siller heard this horrible news, he immediately called his wife to tell her he would be getting home later than he expected because he was going to help those in need in at the towers. He then returned back to the firehouse to get his gear and tried to drive his truck through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, but when he got there it was already blocked off. That is when he got out of his truck with sixty pounds of gear strapped to his back and ran through the tunnel. He then took his final heroic steps to the World Trade Center and laid down his life on 9/11.

The Siller family has honored him with the Tunnel to Towers Run every year. The run represents exactly what Siller did that day. It is a 5K run that goes from the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel to Ground Zero. Past and present firefighters from New York City and all over the world join together and hold American Flags and picture banners of each of their loved ones that they lost in the tunnel while cheering on thousands of runners.

30,000 people took part in the 12th Annual Tunnel to Towers 5k Run and Walk in memory of those who were killed on Sept. 11, 2001.