Westerville 5K honors first responders and military members

Miles with Meaning

by

Westerville

The Tunnel to Towers 5K Run & Walk in Westerville didn’t begin as just another race – it was way to give back.

After the Tunnel to Towers Foundation stepped in to support local families following the deaths of Westerville Police Officers Anthony “Tony” Morelli and Eric Joering, Linda Morelli, Tony’s wife, was inspired to continue the mission.

“Jami (Joering) and I wanted to pay it forward, help others,” says Morelli.

Last year, the race raised $45,000 for the T2T Foundation. Now in its third year, Morelli hopes to see the event continue to grow, not only in size, but in its purpose: honoring and remembering the sacrifices of first responders and military members, past and present.

The bigger picture

The Westerville 5K is part of a much larger mission championed by the Tunnel to Towers  Foundation, an organization founded in December of 2001 in the wake of 9/11 to honor the legacy of New York City firefighter Stephen Siller.

After hearing news of the attacks on the towers, Siller returned to his squad and ran through the closed Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to the Twin Towers, where he made the ultimate sacrifice while saving others.

In 2002, T2T held its first 5K in New York City, retracing Siller’s final footsteps. Today, that single race has grown into a National Run, Walk & Climb Series, transforming Siller’s act of heroism into a countrywide effort that supports fallen first responders and their families, injured service members and veterans in need.

“It’s important because people still need help. Unfortunately, there’s still first responders dying in the line of duty, and we still have vets coming home to a house they can’t move around in, or who are homeless,” says Morelli. “We don’t want people to forget … there’s a bigger picture.”

That bigger picture has taken on a life of its own in Westerville, where the T2T 5K has grown into a community-wide endeavor. Backed by local sponsors, volunteers and participants, the event is building momentum each year – growing from roughly 250 participants in its first year to nearly 500 in 2025.

First Responders Park, Westerville

More than a race

Beyond its growth, Morelli and others say the race is defined less by numbers and more by the experience it creates.

“This is one of the only races in the country that’s tied to running through a firehouse,” says Mark Phillips, Tunnel to Towers event manager for the National Run, Walk & Climb Series. “And First Responders Park being here with a piece of steel from the World Trade Center… it’s almost like the course was designed for us.”

Alongside the course running through the bays of Westerville Fire Department Station 111 and First Responders Park, Morelli helps make the 5K special for participants with an opening ceremony featuring the Honor Guard; t-shirts, a DJ and food onsite from in-kind sponsors such as City BBQ and Cheryl’s Cookies; and custom badges for each runner to wear.

“We have about 400 badges, each representing a first responder that passed away on 9/11. I encourage people to Google their names, learn about who they’re representing, so that we never forget those people,” says Morelli.

Additionally, the race serves as a way to educate children and young adults who may not have memories of or understand the significance of 9/11, as well as a way for them to interact with first responders in a casual setting.

“Put yourself in the mind of a child. They’re seeing them in a different light, not putting a fire out or arresting somebody, but out there running with (their) mom or dad or sister,” says Phillips.

What Morelli and Phillips say truly defines the experience is the sense of community it fosters. Over the years, both have seen participants – whether runners, volunteers, cheerleaders or donors – form a close-knit bond, united by their shared experiences.

“(No matter) why we’re (each) doing what we’re doing… you have a connection with everybody,” says Phillips. “It’s definitely a family that grows every day.”

Beyond the finish line

For Morelli, those moments of meaning helped reinforce the purpose of the race, particularly on one instance that occurred the first year she helped direct it.

“We do a lot of registration the morning of, and when I picked up my phone, I saw we had 467 people signed up. That was my husband’s badge number,” says Morelli. “Sometimes, you just want to know if you’re doing the right thing, and that was my sign.”

For others, she hopes the race simply sparks awareness – encouraging people to learn more about the T2T Foundation and its cause, the legacy of 9/11 and the commemoration of lives lost since, as well as the sacrifices first responders and military members continue to make every day.

“It’s definitely not like any other race,” says Morelli. “It’s an experience you will remember.”

Ella Jay is an assistant editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at ejay@cityscenemediagroup.com.