Twenty-five years have passed since a brilliant blue September morning changed America forever.
For some, the memories of September 11, 2001, come from television images watched from hundreds of miles away. For Candice Taylor, the day began much closer to the place that would soon become Ground Zero.
“I’m born and raised about a half hour north of Manhattan,” Taylor said. “I was actually on a plane on 9/11, heading out of Newark Airport at 8:30 that morning.”
New York was home. The Twin Towers were part of the landscape she knew. And although life eventually brought Taylor to the Lowcountry, the events of that morning – and the sacrifice of those who ran toward danger while others fled – never left her.
Today, Taylor serves as the volunteer race director for the Tunnel to Towers 5K Run & Walk in Bluffton, an event that has grown from just over 200 participants six years ago into the largest race in Beaufort County. Last year, 1,684 people participated. This year, in recognition of the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Taylor and her team have set an ambitious goal: 2,500 participants.
On Sunday, November 8, runners, walkers, first responders, veterans, families, and supporters will gather at Rose Hill Plantation for an event whose purpose reaches far beyond a finish line.
They will run. They will walk. Most importantly, they will remember.
A Promise Born from Tragedy
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation was created in the aftermath of September 11 to honor the sacrifice of FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller, who had finished his shift and was heading to play golf with his brothers when he learned that a plane had struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
Unable to drive through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, Siller strapped 60 pounds of firefighting gear to his back and ran through the tunnel toward the Twin Towers, where he ultimately gave his life while helping others.
That extraordinary final act of service became the inspiration for a national movement.
Today, Tunnel to Towers carries forward that legacy by supporting America’s fallen and catastrophically injured first responders, military heroes, and their families. Its national Run, Walk & Climb Series includes more than 80 events across the country, all inspired by Siller’s footsteps on 9/11.
Its guiding mantra is remarkably simple:
“While we have time, let us do good.”
For Taylor, those words describe exactly why she volunteers.
“Our mission is to obviously never forget that day, or any of our first responders and veterans,” she said. “We support all our nation’s fallen and catastrophically injured first responders, military heroes, and their families.”
The impact isn’t somewhere far away. Taylor can confirm at least three families in the Bluffton-Beaufort area who have been supported by the Foundation, with others potentially receiving assistance privately.
From 200 Runners to Thousands
Taylor’s involvement began when she learned that Savannah’s Tunnel to Towers 5K had fallen away during the pandemic. She contacted the national organization with a question: Would they be interested in bringing an event to Bluffton?
The answer ultimately led to Taylor taking on the enormous volunteer responsibility of directing the race.
“If we don’t make any money for doing this, this is truly just dedication,” she said. “I reached out to headquarters to see if, hey, would you like us to put on the event here in the Bluffton area? And so here I am, six years later, doing it.”
What happened next exceeded expectations.
The inaugural Bluffton event attracted just over 200 runners. Participation continued climbing – sometimes doubling or tripling from year to year. The race drew 1,100 participants two years ago before jumping to 1,684 last year.
“We keep going up by five to six hundred people a shot,” Taylor said.
The Bluffton race is now the largest in Beaufort County and, according to Taylor, ranks among the top Tunnel to Towers events in the country for participation outside New York City.
The fundraising has grown right alongside it. Last year’s event raised approximately $180,000. In honor of this year’s 25th anniversary, Taylor hopes to raise $250,000.
A Morning of Remembrance
The November 8 event returns to the equestrian side of Rose Hill Plantation, which has hosted the race for the past three years.
Before runners take a single step, however, the morning begins with remembrance.
A ceremony will bring together representatives from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, Bluffton Fire Department, other area fire and law enforcement agencies, veterans, first responders, and members of the community to honor local heroes and remember those lost during the past 25 years.
The event information lists an 8:30 a.m. start at Rose Hill Plantation, 1 Equestrian Way in Bluffton.
For many participants, the 5K is personal. Gold Star families attend with children and loved ones. First responders participate. Some runners carry photographs or names. Others simply come because remembering matters.
“It really is a day to just kind of honor and contribute to those that we’ve lost,” Taylor said.
Participants who register by the T-shirt deadline receive an event shirt, and finishers receive medals. Awards will be presented by age group. But this is not an event reserved for serious runners. It is a run and a walk – and its meaning has nothing to do with how quickly someone covers 3.1 miles.
The Bluffton 5K has become successful because the Lowcountry has embraced it. Local businesses contribute through sponsorships, services, products, food, and beverages. Community volunteers help with the countless details required to move thousands of people through a meaningful and memorable race-day experience.
Taylor is responsible for coordinating much of it. “Anywhere from getting sponsorships to volunteers to registrations to raising money to doing fundraisers, I am the one responsible for all of that,” she said.
That work continues right up to race day. Taylor said sponsorship opportunities remain available into October, including opportunities for businesses that might be able to contribute goods or services rather than traditional financial sponsorships.
Following the 5K, the gathering will continue with an after-party at Fair Winds Bar & Grill beginning at 11 a.m., featuring additional fundraising opportunities, food and drink specials, and live music from Money Creek. It is another opportunity to build community around a cause that began on one of the darkest days in American history.
Twenty-Five Years Later
A quarter century can soften details. Children born after September 11 are now adults. A generation has grown up knowing about the attacks only through history lessons, photographs, video footage, and stories told by those who remember exactly where they were when the world changed. That makes the mission of Tunnel to Towers increasingly important.
For Taylor, remembrance is not simply about looking backward. It is about what we choose to do because we remember. It means honoring firefighters who climb stairs carrying heavy equipment when everyone else is coming down. It means remembering law enforcement officers and military members who put service ahead of self. It means standing beside families whose lives changed because someone they loved answered a call to serve.
And it means caring for those who continue to suffer from illnesses related to their work at Ground Zero.
“We’re actually losing more people today from 9/11 diseases than we lost on 9/11,” Taylor said.
On November 8, thousands of footsteps will move through Rose Hill Plantation.
Some will belong to fast runners. Some to veterans, firefighters, police officers, Gold Star families, and people who vividly remember September 11, 2001. Still others will belong to people who were not yet born back then.
Together, those footsteps carry a message: We remember. We honor. And while we have time, we do good.
To learn more, visit RunSignup.com/Race/SC/Bluffton/TunneltoTowers5KRunWalkBluffonSC.