Updated on
Summary
Firefighters from the United States and Australia teamed up in Santa Monica, California to begin a month long run across the US. The Tour of Duty starts at the beach in California and travels a 4,900 mile (7038 km) route through Las Vegas, Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Washington, DC and finally ends at Ground Zero in New York on September 11. A team of 16 American and 16 Australian runners will be divided into three teams, running for six hours in relay, then 12-hours off. The cycle continues for 24 hours a day until they reach New York. One of the main forces behind the tour, Melbourne firefighter Paul Ritchie, spoke to the runners before they set off on their journey. Firefighters from both sides of the Pacific Ocean said that the cross-country challenge is a way to remember their colleagues. James Dowdell, who's father was a first responder who died on September 11, said that this is a way to give back. The Tour of Duty runners plan to be running over the Brooklyn Bridge on September 11 at 6:00 AM (EST) and arrive at Ground Zero in time for a special ceremony to begin at 8:46 AM (EST), the time when the first plane struck the World Trade Center. Funds raised will be donated to charities nominated by the Fire fighters and Emergency Services of America. The attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2010 claimed the lives of 2,976 people including 411 emergency services workers.
