In memory of Stephen Siller, a 9/11 firefighter who lost his life, Jacksonville will host the inaugural Stephen Siller Tunnel to Tower Foundation’s 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, September 17 at the Jacksonville Landing. The run is hosted by the Tunnel to Towers non-profit organization; their mission is to honor and celebrate Jacksonville/Northeast Floridas first responders—fire, police, EMT’s, paramedics—as well as military service heroes who serve, sacrifice and protect us every day.
Joining the Tunnel to Towers staff and volunteers for the day will be Jack Oehm, a retired Battalion Chief of FDNY who station Ladder 101 & Engine 202 lost 7 brothers and a ladder truck during 9/11. Event organizer Marc McCorckle will be running in his firefighting gear; he has participated in countless events since 2011, including three 5K events in one weekend!
Registration for the 5k Run/Walk is open to the public. Registered walkers and runners will have the opportunity to create their own profile pages that will feature their personal photos and individual stories. Additionally, participants can compete to raise the most funds and recruit the most friends to their team.
Bozard Ford Lincoln is currently registering participants at their location in St. Augustine, Florida. You can also register by clicking here.
At the walk, there will be Starbucks coffee, Smoothie King and other vendors providing food and drink to the walkers and runners. The color and honor guard will be presented by Englewood High School ROTC and the Jacksonville Firefighters Pipes and Drums will play before, during and after the run. Lane Pittman will play the National Anthem on Electric Guitar and banners will honor the 409 first responders that were killed during attacks on 9/11.
There will be an after party at Fionn Macools Irish Pub and Restaurant; free beer for runners will be provided. American Idol fans can watch Season 14 American Idol finalist JAX perform.
For more information, you can click here, or contact the event director Marc McCorkle via email at jacksonville@tunnel2towers.org or by phone at (904) 572-5266.