Vero Beach residents haven’t forgotten the sacrifices made and the lives tragically lost on Sept. 11, as evidenced by the number of people who ran alongside first responders from near and far in the annual Tunnel to Towers Foundation 5K Run & Walk Vero Beach at Riverside Park. Proceeds from the event benefit the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which honors and supports first responders and military members and their families.

During the opening ceremonies, David Johnson, Indian River County Emergency Services director, said the event recognizes the first responders who perished that day, as well as the nearly 3,000 others who lost their lives at the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

The New York City Tunnel to Towers race was founded in 2002 by the family and friends of Stephen Siller, a firefighter with Brooklyn’s Squad 1. Siller was off that day and heading out to play golf when the call went out. Unable to drive into the city amid the chaos, Siller – wearing his full 60 pounds of gear – ran through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers, where he perished, along with 11 others from that squad.

The mantra of the nonprofit is “Let Us Do Good,” by supporting our nation’s fallen and catastrophically injured first responders, military heroes and their families through their Smart Home Program, Fallen First Responder Home Program, Gold Star Family Home Program, Tunnel to Towers 9/11 Institute, and Footsteps to the Future Endowment. They also strive to eliminate veteran homelessness and to assist victims of major disasters.

Many firefighters and law enforcement personnel paid tribute by wearing full gear in the race, just as Siller did on that fateful day, while others carried flags. One group of local firefighters carried a firehose with the names of the 2,977 people who lost their lives on Sept. 11.

Dan Richey and Gina Kempf founded the Tunnel to Towers Vero Beach 5K Run/Walk 11 years ago as a way to keep the memory alive. As part of this year’s tribute, flags representing all who lost their lives waved in front of the IRC Fire Station 2. Additionally, images of the 343 firefighters plus New York Police Department and Port Authority officers and the K-9 who lost their lives were placed along the route as runners passed by.

Karen Rackard and Stacy Zedek received the Steven Siller Award for Outstanding Service for their dedication and efforts in helping to organize the race for the past 10 years.

Brandon Rinchack of Vero Beach was the overall winner with a time of 18:26, with Jennifer Quigley taking first place in the women’s division with a time of 22:44.

For more information, visit T2T.org.

Photos by Joshua Kodis

: Lt. Ken Blanton

: Shaun Dibble

: David Vazquez, Andrew Sellers, Dwayne Sprenger, Matt Bloch and Kenneth Blanton.

: Indian River Shores Deputy Chief Mark Shaw, IRC Director of Emergency Services David Johnson, Indian River Shores Acting Public Safety Director & Chief Tad Stone and VBPD Chief David Currey.