Runners and walkers alike arose early on Saturday to take part in the annual Tunnel to Towers 5K run and walk.

The event is hosted by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which was created in the memory of New York Firefighter Stephen Siller with the mission of assisting catastrophically injured veterans and first responders, fallen first responder families, and Gold Star families. 

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation has previously assisted the family of fallen Newman Police Cpl. Ronil Singh.

Taking first place in this year’s race was Anthony Cortes, 30. He was followed by Patricio Kearney, who took 2nd place. The 17-year-old is a standout on the cross country team at Orestimba High School.

The race also featured some first responders — including a group from the Turlock Police Department. Singh started his law enforcement career as a volunteer with the Modesto Police Department and then served as a cadet and animal service officer with the Turlock Police Department. He worked in Turlock from 2006 to 2010 and then joined the Merced County Sheriff’s Department as a deputy in 2010. He graduated Modesto Junior College in 2009 with a degree in criminal justice. Singh joined the Newman Police Department in 2011. 

Joining this year’s race was Anthony Locks, a fireman that runs in his turnout gear and carries an American flag. Locks serves as a goodwill ambassador for the event.

On Sept. 11, 2001, Siller had completed his shift with Brooklyn Squad 1 when he heard news of an airplane hitting the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Siller returned to Squad 1 to gather his gear and drove to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, only to find it had been closed. With his 60 pounds of gear in tow, Siller ran from the tunnel to the Twin Towers where he lost his life. He was 34 years old and left behind his wife and five children.

During the last Sunday of each September a Tunnel to Towers run is held in New York City that follows the same path as that taken by Siller on Sept. 11. Proceeds from the run benefit the families of injured or fallen veterans and first responders.

Shortly after Singh was killed on Dec. 26, 2018, Tunnel to Towers Foundation Chairman and CEO and brother of Firefighter Siller, Frank Siller, flew from New York City to California to personally meet with Corporal Singh’s widow at the Newman Police Department where he informed her that the remaining mortgage balance on the Singh’s family home was to be paid in full by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

Proceeds from the event benefit the Foundation. For the past several years, the Foundation's program service percentage on average was 95% - 95 cents out of every dollar has gone directly to the programs and services. To date, the Foundation has committed $250 million to the families of the fallen and injured.