UC to recognize 25th anniversary of 9/11 with stair run

The University of Cincinnati will remember the victims of the 9/11 terror attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., with a memorial stair run at Nippert Stadium.

This Friday marks the 25th anniversary of the attacks that killed 2,977 people. Many others, including first responders, have died from ailments connected to the toxic dust they inhaled that day and during the emergency response. 

UC's annual tribute begins at 6:46 a.m. Friday and is open to the public. People are encouraged to walk the 2,071 stairs of Nippert Stadium in recognition of the people who died at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pa., during the attacks in which terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners.

The terrorists, 19 members of al-Qaeda, flew planes into the Pentagon and the twin towers of the World Trade Center.

Hijackers took control of a fourth plane, but passengers aboard Flight 93 bound from Newark to San Francisco fought back and interrupted the plan to crash the plane into the White House or the Capitol building. The plane crashed in a field in rural Pennsylvania while the passengers tried to retake the aircraft. Nobody on the ground was injured.

Today, that field is the Flight 93 National Memorial, one of countless memorials across the country dedicated to the victims of the attacks.

The Memorial Stair Run is organized by UC's Office of Veterans Programs & Services.

The stair run lasts for 56 minutes, the time people had to evacuate the south tower of the World Trade Center before it collapsed. Those who wish to participate but can't navigate stairs are welcome to use the accessible concourse around the stadium.

Many UC students were born after the events of 9/11, but the world they grew up in was shaped by the resulting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“It was very scary, especially being a first responder,” UC graduate and Cincinnati police officer Patrice Brooks recalled while participating in the run in 2022.

Featured image at top: UC will recognize victims of 9/11 on the 25th anniversary of the terror attacks with a memorial stair run Friday at Nippert Stadium. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC