FBI New York Running Team Participates in the Ninth Annual 'Tunnel to Towers' 5K Run/Walk

On September 26, 2010, Assistant Director in Charge (ADIC) of the FBI’s New York Office Janice K. Fedarcyk joined special agents and professional support staff of the FBI New York Running Team to support the ninth annual "Tunnel to Towers" run. The five-kilometer (3.1 mile) course began on the Brooklyn side of the entrance to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, extended north through Battery Park City, and crossed the finish line on West Street right next to Ground Zero, where it is possible to observe the progress of the September 11 Memorial and Museum. Each year, runners and walkers follow the footsteps of hero firefighter Stephen Siller. Dressed in full gear weighing nearly 80 pounds, Siller ran three miles through the tunnel on September 11 after being told he could not drive through. Siller died while rescuing people from the Twin Towers.

The FBI New York Running Team participated alongside more than 25,000 runners and walkers from the New York area and as far away as Honolulu, Hawaii; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and England. Members of law enforcement, firefighters, soldiers (including wounded warriors), and many more came to honor all of those who, like firefighter Siller, died responding to the September 11 terrorist attacks. Many of the men and women who participated on behalf of the FBI’s New York Office did so in remembrance of those they personally lost on that day.

The Tunnel to Towers Run has become a larger event each year in New York. This year, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Comedian Dennis Miller, and Actor John Turturro were among the celebrities who came out to support the event. The participants received lunch from more than 30 food vendors and were also given a free concert after the run by acclaimed country group Montgomery Gentry.

Since its origin in 2002, Tunnel to Towers has raised more than $7 million for the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund, orphans, military causes, burn victims, building homes for heroes, continued Hurricane Katrina relief, and additional causes in Siller’s memory.