Locals worked up a sweat Saturday morning at the annual Tunnel to Towers 5K run, a 9/11 memorial race which honors first responders and military service members while raising funds to support their families.
The race began at the Douglas Barnard Amphitheater on Augusta University’s (AU) Summerville Campus at exactly 8:46 a.m., the very moment that American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
The Greater Augusta Tunnel to Towers 5K Run is just one of many held across the nation, from New York City to Florida, to raise awareness and support for the foundation’s mission – providing fallen first responder families with mortgage-free homes.
Tunnel to Towers is a national foundation established in honor of firefighter Stephen Siller, who lost his life while saving others during the Sept. 11 attacks.
Remembering 9/11 in Augusta
John Ryan, who is a co-coordinator for the Augusta event alongside his wife Cornelia, cheered on runners at the finish line with his dog, Sadie.
“After 9/11, we all said ‘we’ll never forget.’ [But] if there isn’t some place for you to come and remember, then it’s easier to forget it, so it can slip your mind,” said Ryan. “We purposefully put on an event every year on the Saturday closest to the 11th without going past, so everybody has an opportunity to come out and remember together, like we said.”
Ryan and his wife have been putting on the event for eight years. “One thing I’ve learned is that the community appreciates this, and that just reinforces that this is the right thing to do, and we appreciate the opportunity to serve in this capacity,” he said.
Runners’ experiences
Terquan Foster was a runner who is also currently in active duty with the U.S. Army, and said he’s been participating in Tunnels to Towers for several years.
“I enjoy it every time, the camaraderie, community coming together is the best part of it,” he said.
Pattiann Taylor, assistant to the VP of Enrollment and Student Affairs at AU, also participated and said that the events of 9/11 “had a tremendous impact” on her.
Saturday was Taylor’s third time running the race, and as an employee at AU, she said she feels it is critical to spread awareness of the tragic 2001 event on the college campus “for students who have never gone through this kind of experience, for them to have an appreciation.”
