Run held to commemorate lives lost 9/11 and in wars since

AUSTIN, Texas - And they’re off.

The 9/11 Heroes Run is organized by the Travis Manion Foundation, which is dedicated to empowering veterans and the families of fallen heroes to foster character development in future generations.

In 2007, 1st Lt. Travis Manion lost his life in Iraq while heroically saving his injured teammates.

Manion’s legacy continues through his powerful words before his final deployment: "If not me, then who..." A mantra many still follow today.

"We live by that motto of, if not me, then who? And so that's what this is. Today, we've come together to ask ourselves, if not me, then who? And so that's kind of the origin of where "TMF" came from," said event organizer, Monica Velez.

This year's race honored Austin Fire Battalion Chief, Travis Maher and the impact he had on the community.

"We're just trying to talk about the sacrifices that our military members and first responders are given the things that they do for their communities. And I can't think of two better people, Travis Manion and Travis Maher, that exemplify that out here today," said Austin Fire Battalion Chief, Andy Reardon.

Maher was with AFD for 23 years and responded to disasters across the country including searching for victims in the aftermath of 9/11. He lost the battle to cancer in 2022, but his legacy still lives on.

Chief Reardon rose through the ranks with Maher.

"Travis was all about sacrifice and all about doing things for others. You know, everybody says he's the face of the disaster response. And if Travis wasn't here in Austin, he was out deploying around the state of Texas and around the country just trying to help other people in a really difficult time," said Reardon.

Over 600 people including many local first responding agencies joining to support the fallen. 

One of those was Eric Reeder with AFD who got a group together to participate. He was thrilled about the outpouring of support after 40 AFD members volunteered alongside him.

"It's just a great opportunity for the fire family to come together. We work all over the city, different shifts, different stations, and so it's awesome to come together for something that's bigger than us," said Reeder.

For event organizer Velez, the cause is near and dear to her heart.  She is a Gold Star family member, losing her first brother in Iraq in 2004 and her second brother in Afghanistan in 2006.

"In the beginning I felt very lost and hopeless, that being part of a community and being able to be right here at home and serving my own community in honor of my brothers and in honor of other fallen heroes has just had a great impact on, how I honor them," said Velez.

Velez says it’s important to let future generations know about the impact 9/11 had on our nation.

Moving forward, she stresses the importance of September 12th.

"When we came together as Americans, and we came together as a community and just embraced each other and wanted to make things better. And we just had the same love and passion, no matter what divides or what disagreements we had. That's the most important thing, it's like it doesn't take a title to step up and be a leader in your community. Anybody can do it," said Velez.

You can learn more about the Manion Foundation here