The 8th annual Tunnel To Towers Run is being held today, even in spite of the rainy conditions. The 5K run/walk is in tribute to firefighter Stephen Siller: On September 11 2001, he decided to run through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, wearing 70 pounds of firefighting gear, to the World Trade Center and help; he died in the attacks. The race starts at the Gowanus approach to the BBT and enters Manhattan on West Street.
This year, the Tunnel to Towers Run suffered a bit of a setback. NY1 reports that on Friday, a UPS truck carrying 18,000 t-shirts and registration forms for the race suddenly caught fire. Though no one was hurt, shirts were burned or soaked, while some forms, trophies and more were destroyed.
Siller's brother Frank said that the community has been stepping up, "Soon as [the owner of the Hilton Garden Inn on Staten Island] heard what had happened, he offered his services. UPS pilled up all the wet shirts, put them in a truck, drove them to the Hilton Garden, and they're cleaning them for us." He added that they'll offer the damaged shirts to runners, "I guarantee everyone will take a burnt one before they take a good one."
The race begins at 9:30 a.m.; there are a number of streets in Brooklyn and Manhattan (PDF) closed due to the race and the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel is closed until 3pm.
