A day to remember

More than 300 people took to the stadium steps, 23 years later on Sept. 11, 2024, to participate in the annual UC 9/11 Stair Run, now in its ninth year. The run begins at 6:46 a.m. and lasts for 56 minutes — the amount of time people had to evacuate the south tower before it collapsed.

“I come from four generations of firefighters,” said Dean Richards, a UC alum (A&S, ’18), as he put on full firefighter gear right before the starting cannon sounded.

It’s the fourth UC Stair Run for Richards, who is with the Ludlow, Kentucky, Fire Department. His gear, he says, weighs approximately 85 pounds.

Across the playing field, third-year UC student Michael Horn geared up mentally for his first attempt. “I might still be here tomorrow,” Horn joked while surveying the expanse of the stadium. He discovered the UC run on social media and came with some athletic experience to get him through.

That day, al-Qaida terrorists flew two hijacked airliners into World Trade Center towers, New York’s tallest buildings, and one in the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Passengers aboard a fourth airliner, Flight 93, fought back against the hijackers, preventing them from flying the jet into the White House or U.S. Capitol — the likely targets, according to the 9/11 Commission Report. Instead, the plane crashed in a field outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania, which was later dedicated as a national memorial to the passengers and crew.

The UC Stair Run was first organized in 2015 by UC’s Office of Veterans Programs & Services (VPS) and Army and Air Force ROTC.

“Never forget so that we do not allow history to repeat itself,” Gregory Roberson, VPS coordinator, says organizing the 2024 run.

Sgt. Jamie Penlon, U.S. Army (retired), was the Stair Run guest speaker. Penlon deployed to New York City, to the area of the building collapse commonly referred to as ground zero, with his National Guard unit following the tragic event to protect the hallowed grounds.

“It was like landing on the moon,” Penlon said of the wasteland that remained where the towers once stood. “It was very scary and eerie because it was silent, and everyone knows that New York City is not silent.”

“It’s etched into my brain,” Penlon added.

Above left: UC students Kate Beckley, Jordan Sullivan, Heather Lausche and Elise Cupp.
Above right: ROTC cadet Zane Mustard. Photos/Joe Fuqua.

Second-year UC health science major Jordan Sullivan brought her roommates to the event to commemorate 9/11 and to celebrate a family member. “My brother is my best friend. I’m doing this for my brother, too,” she said. Her brother, Jeffrey Sullivan is a combat medic in the Army.

Army ROTC cadet Zane Mustard completed the run barely breaking a sweat, even with a 35-pound rucksack on his back. He trains once a week as part of a “ruck club.”

He said he was only a year old during the 9/11 attacks but grew up attending events that commemorate the lives lost and the American spirit.

“Generations feel the ripple effect,” he said.

The run doesn’t just attract UC students and affiliates, however. A group of co-workers from ADP, a Cincinnati payroll company, have participated for three years. “It doesn’t get easier,” joked a breathless Noelle Hecht after finishing in under 56 minutes.

The event was covered by the following local media: 

WKRC Local 12: 'It was powerful': UC Stair Run honors the first responders who died on 9/11

Fox19: UC’s annual 9/11 remembrance stair climb

WCPO 9: 'It chokes me up' | Hundreds honor 9/11 victims, first responders in stair climb at Nippert Stadium

Featured image at top by Joe Fuqua for VPS.