The 2023 5K: Why I Run, With John Quinn
John Quinn, holding a photo of his friend Joyce Capeneto and at the Memorial on Race Day, has run the 5K for the past six years.
We're a little more than one month away from our 11th annual 5K Run/Walk, presented by RXR, which will once again take place in lower Manhattan on Sunday, April 30. The route of the race follows the path rescue and recovery workers took to access Ground Zero on 9/11 and in the days and weeks that followed; participants pay tribute to them by running and walking in their footsteps.
This year’s event will be filled with exciting programming, entertainment, and pop-up activations from our sponsors that you won't want to miss. But don't just take our word for it – hear from our friend John Quinn who has participated in the 5K Run/Walk for the past six years, honoring his close friend Joyce Carpeneto, who was at work in the North Tower on 9/11.
"I was totally devastated by the loss of my dear friend and have honored her memory in the best way I know how: by writing. I wrote a memorial for her that October and a poem for her in January 2022. I also did the first eulogy at her memorial service in August 2002. One of the prouder experiences of my life. Over the years, I have tried to remind the world who Joyce was and to keep her memory alive. I have run in the 5K since 2017. It's one of those things I do out of love for my friend and to raise money for the Museum, which is such a worthy cause. I look forward to another great run in April."
John and Joyce’s friendship, which began in 1985 when they worked together at Tower Records in Greenwich Village, is just one of the thousands of memories we help keep alive through our 5K Run/Walk.
Register for the 11th annual 9/11 Memorial & Museum 5K Run/Walk, presented by RXR, on Sunday, April 30. You'll be joining John and thousands of other members of the 9/11 community as we carry out our promise never to forget the day that changed our world forever.
By 9/11 Memorial Staff
Paddy McGee, an NYPD officer who appears in our 2023 Anniversary Digital Learning Experience, was inspired to enter public service when, as a child, he watched emergency workers responding to an incident in his Queens neighborhood. He went on to become a heroic first responder on 9/11 and the father of a newly minted Port Authority Police Officer as well.
First Responder Brenda Berkman, an FDNY Lieutenant, channels the personal trauma of 9/11 into art that reflects the changing skyline — and resilience — of New York City since the attacks.