Annual run honors 9/11 victims and heroes

Area residents complete a challenging 9.11-mile course every year on Sept. 11.

Every year on Sept. 11, while most people reflect, a handful of local residents lace up their shoes and hit the pavement — for 9.11 miles.

They don’t do it for headlines or medals. They do it because they remember.

For the eighth year in a row, Drew Guarino, Matt Kennedy and a tightknit group of friends and family pounded the streets of New Eagle, Monongahela and Black Diamond to honor the lives lost — and those who fought, volunteered and rescued — on one of the darkest days in American history.

They are not veterans or first responders, just proud Americans who run with purpose.

“I was driving home from work on 9/11 one year, and I just felt like I needed to do something,” Guarino said. “I wasn’t a runner. And I don’t run often. The last run I did was this last year, so it can be tough but we didn’t want the route to be easy, because that day wasn’t easy.”

The route they mapped out is no joke — starting near Hazel Kirk Road, down Route 136 to Main Street, crossing 88 and into Black Diamond. Then they turn back and finish at Chess Park.

Their path weaves through streets, alleys and sidewalks in a way that, on a map, roughly sketches the numbers 9-1-1.

Six people ran Thursday, each taking turns carrying the American flag.

People along the way honked their horns, waved flags and shouted encouragement. When the flag is out front, that’s when energy is the highest.

“You can sometimes feel the moti- vation drop when you’re in the back without the flag,” Kennedy said. “Then you see it waving up ahead and it’s like exactly the motivation you need.”

Among the runners was Anna Dickey, who joined for the second year in a row.

She went to high school with Guarino and Kennedy.

“I was 11 when the Twin Towers fell,” Dickey said. “Running today is how I remember the sacrifices that were made — and it’s a way to show my kids why this day still matters.”

Guarino hasn’t missed a year since that first run.

Kennedy, one of the original runners, says the tradition keeps the memory alive.

“Drew’s the one who pushed me into it,” Kennedy said. “Everybody says ‘never forget,’ but when you’re running 9.11 miles, it really makes you remember why.”

They all remember where they were that day.

Guarino was in class when a student came in crying.

The teacher left the room, then came back sobbing. No one explained anything. He didn’t understand until he got home and saw the news.

Those memories don’t fade. And for this group, and anyone passing by, the run serves as a reminder.

“This isn’t about us,” Guarino said. “It’s about the people who can’t anymore.”

The crew will hit the pavement again next year — flag in hand, hearts heavy, feet pounding, making sure to never forget.