Medina to have 12th annual Tunnel to Towers 5K Run and Walk

MEDINA — So far, around 1,000 people are estimated to take part in this year's Tunnel to Towers 5K Run and Walk to remember the first responders who died as a result of 9/11. Volunteer race director Debbie D'Errico said firefighter Stephen Siller's story inspired Tunnel to Towers. He was going golfing with his brothers when he found out that the Twin Towers were struck. "He decided to go back to work," she said. "He was in Brooklyn, and he strapped on his gear but could not get his car through the tunnel because all the traffic was stopped. He actually ran through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel all the way to the Twin Towers to help out and then perished in the towers." Siller's siblings decided to start the race in New York in honor of him, and satellite races later began across the country. Medina's race starts at 8 a.m. on the Medina Square on Sunday. D'Errico said participants will go around the square, past the 9/11 Memorial, through Fire Station No. 1 and back to the square. "We have signs along the route of the fallen 343 first responders that fell on 9/11," she said. The race is a fundraiser, and all the funds go to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, D'Errico said. The foundation supports building smart homes for veterans and paying off mortgages for the families of first responders who are killed in the line of duty. "Locally, in Ohio, we've actually been able to help 30 fallen first responders' families," she said. Online registration is available at tinyurl.com/ytfvjxmz until the race starts on Sunday morning. D'Errico said that those who are interested in a shirt should register soon since they are running low. "It's a way to remember 9/11 so that we never forget what happened," she said. "Through the process of remembering 9/11, we're able to raise money and support current veterans and first responders. It's remembering the past and then also helping with the present and the future." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.