The inaugural Tunnels to Towers Run for Bridgewater was held Saturday morning in Duke Island Park.

The event honored the efforts of first responders from 9/11 and Steve Siller, a firefighter stuck in traffic trying to get to the Twin Towers who grabbed his 70 pounds of gear and ran there through the tunnel.

"I think this was a good turnout for the first year," race director Kristin Cupito said. "We will have it again next year and it will be bigger and better. Today we had perfect weather and we got a lot of support from the local businesses."

One participant wasn't sure she could finish, but then thought about what Siller went through to help others on 9/11.

"About three quarters of the way through the run, when I was not feeling very strong, I started thinking about Steve Siller and what he endured to get to ground zero and I realized this run isn't so bad," said Kim Prescott, of Branchburg.