By Rita Shea-Van Fossen

NOTE: Rita is a good friend who on 2011, on the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, ran the Tunnel to Towers Run. This is the story of her experience. It is a bit long, but worth the read.

Stephen Stiller

What an AMAZING event!!!! I can honestly say the BEST 5K (actually, 3.3 miles) I have ever had the privilege of running. As a \”true\” runner, it has all the makings of a race you would hate – an outrageously expensive entry fee ($50 early registration for a 5K with no tech shirt – but a good cause!), way too many people – half of which are registered as walkers and most have probably not run a race before, no corrals to organize this mass of humanity and clearly the organizers were not runners. All of that didn\’t matter – it was still the best 5K ever and what an honor to run in the steps of and among true American heroes! If you ever get the chance – RUN THIS RACE!!

Rita has ran 2 marathons and 13 halves, but her favorite distance is 10 miles.

For those who do not know the story of this race, on September 11, 2001, after just after finishing an overnight shift at his firehouse in Brooklyn, Stephen Siller was on his way to play golf with his brothers when he heard on his scanner news of the World Trade Center disaster. Stephen immediately turned his car around and drove to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. With traffic at a standstill, Stephen got out of his car, strapped on 80 pounds of gear and ran through the tunnel. He eventually met up with his squad members as they rushed into the World Trade Center. Stephen Siller and ten other members of his Squad perished while saving the lives. Stephen is survived by his wife, Sarah, and their five children. The Stephen Siller FDNY “Let Us Do Good” Children’s Foundation pays tribute to all firefighters and everyone lost on September 11. The foundation has donated over four million dollars to various charities, including a burn center and Freedom Alliance’s Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships to the children of members of the U.S. military who have been killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty. This race traces Stephen\’s steps and raises money for the charity named for him.

I am a native New Yorker (Queens) and knowing a few people who either just escaped or lost their lives on 9/11, this race has always been on my and hubby Bill\’s radar. This past summer, Bill twisted my arm and said, \”Why don\’t we do the Tunnel to Towers this year\”. I am so glad he did!! This is a race I will tell my grandchildren about (definitely a \”rocking chair memory\” as my mother-in-law would say).

Bill & I had a 4:30 AM wake-up call to make the 9:30 AM start of the race (you had to be on the shuttle bus or ferry by 7:30 AM due to the tunnel closure). We took the Path train out of Newark Penn Station (which is about 30 min. from our house). The Train reminded me of Broad Street Run in Philly. Three guys who were going to work and thousands of runners, more than half in their fire-fighting equipment on the train. The Linden (NJ) Fire department was on our train, a good 20-30 guys all in their gear. When we got to the World Trade Center stop a mass of humanity snaked around in an organized fashion to the buses. We saw fire fighters from London (yes, as in England), Ft Lauderdale, Long Beach, Louisville, KY; all over New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. We were just starting to feel what this race is all about. The bus ride to Brooklyn however reminded me, and several women I was sitting with, of the NYC marathon, being shuttled hours ahead of time to get to the start to wait around.

In Red Hook, Brooklyn still more walking to get to the start, but that was fine as it was a beautiful morning. Bill & I made our way to the start area about an hour or so before the start. We saw several the wounded warriors that were profiled on a national CBS special a few days before the race. After getting chased out of the start area we walked up the street a bit and took a seat and waited for the race to start. About 45 minutes before the race started, they did a ceremony honoring those who lost their lives on 9/11 and the soldiers lost since. I was almost in tears during the ceremony. Very moving and very appropriate for the day of remembrance & celebration. They had huge screens and speakers set up for almost a mile up to the starting line so folks could see the pre-race ceremonies.

At 9:00 they had a Rolling Thunder group and NYC\’s finest on motorcycles started the race with a handful of wounded warriors, some of whom are recipients of the Stephen Siller Foundation. Then 1600 cadets from West Point went through the Tunnel, another ceremony with some songs and the National Anthem, and then the start – more than 30,000 for a 5K. When this event started 10 years ago, 2,000 ran. This year was the largest ever! We figured the race would be like the 1st mile of Broad street, far from PR time and we would be lucky to run at all with all the people around. Since we were near the front, we were able to run right away when we hit the starting line. I was going to stay with Bill, but he just said \”go ahead\” – It felt good to stretch my legs a bit, so I headed off. The race snakes around for the first .3 of a mile or so, and you go right into the tunnel. Very cool coming into the Tunnel. They had the electric signs welcoming the runners and they had speakers set up and \”Proud to be an American\” blasting! Kids were darting for speed, but most people were singing & whenever the chorus hit. People were shouting and your body actually vibrated from the cheers – it was amazing! The tunnel is about 2 miles of the run and I settled in, just wanting to enjoy a new experience, running in a tunnel! It was hot and humid, but I couldn\’t complain because you kept passing people in full firefighting attire, complete with oxygen tanks! Downhill in the tunnel was awesome, and when you hit the straight away you just saw this mass of humanity in front of you! It was great and I barely felt the uphill side, which surprised me. They had music through most of the tunnel. 

As you come out of the tunnel, that is when it was utterly amazing. You see the WTC site in front of you. They have firefighters and police in their dress blues, all lined up for almost half a mile each with banners for the 343 fire fighters who died on 9/11 and guys in kilts and bag pipes. Runners were high fiving the guys and thanking them for their service. I gladly joined in. I don\’t know who was enjoying it more: those of us running or the people holding the banners and cheering us on.

Banners for the 343 fire fighters who died on 9/11 are displayed for almost half a mile

My friend, Kate, lost her husband, Robert McPadden, a NYC fire fighter, that day. As I was going past, I noticed Bob\’s banner. I stopped, pulled my cell phone out and asked the young fire fighter holding the banner if I could take his picture. The young man didn\’t know Bob, but he was very gracious with this old lady stopping in the race and taking his picture. After that, I kept high-fiving, especially to the guys near the back of the line. Bill said when he passed them, there was a young woman running who stopped in front of one of the firemen and planted a big old kiss on the lips of the guy. The two fire fighters around him asked if he knew her and apparently, he didn\’t. He was as shocked as anyone. These are the reasons I LOVE NY!!

After the fire fighters, there was a water stop and you turned a corner towards the Hudson River. You’d think you are almost done, but there’s still about a mile to go. We went by the new 9/11 memorial and a 2nd memorial along the river. When I hit the river I looked to my left & there was a NYC fire boat with water guns flowing in front of the Statue of Liberty. An amazing site!

I felt good & kept running as you snaked around the esplanade and to West and Liberty streets to the finish. They had cheerleaders, bands, people rooting for you. Great support and motivation. I had about .3 to go as I passed one of the wounded warriors (with 1 leg) who was profiled on the local CBS affiliate that week. I gave him and his posse a cheer. The finish line was on West Street, which is where the party really began. I did 30:17 for 3.38 miles, so right at a 9 min/mile – a nice run for me. Bill did 37 Min and was more than happy with his run.

If you want to feel proud to be an American, something I know I needed, especially in those days, this is the race to run or volunteer for. Definitely a feel-good event and one that I am so happy I got the chance to do.

Rita Shea-Van Fossen, PhD is a Associate Professor of Management at Nova Southeastern University and ran her first 5K at 39.  She has run two marathons (NJ and NYC) and 13 half marathons, but her favorite distance is 10 miles. Despite claiming to hate running, she keeps running for the health benefits and to spend time with her awesome running friends.