Travis Manion Foundation to host 9/11 Heroes Run to honor the 20th anniversary

The Travis Manion Foundation, a veteran service organization, will host the Chicago 9/11 Heroes Run 5K race at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, at Lincoln Park in Chicago.

The annual race will unite the community to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11th attacks, and honor the lives lost that day and in the wars since, along with the veterans, military, and first responders who serve the nation and our communities.

Now in its 14th year, the 9/11 Heroes Run national race series will be held in more than 50 locations across the country and around the world. Registration is now open for participants to run, walk, or ruck, and the race series is expected to draw over 60,000 participants worldwide.

The Travis Manion Foundation has created a touching video to honor the 20th anniversary of 9/11 as an inspiration to attendees of all ages.

The 9/11 Heroes Run 5K series was inspired by Marine 1st Lt. Travis Manion, who was killed by an enemy sniper in Iraq in April 2007 as he selflessly pulled his wounded teammates to safety. Before his final deployment, Travis visited New York City Fire Department Rescue Company 1 - famous for losing almost all of their men on 9/11 - and returned home with an even deeper devotion to defending our freedom ahead of his return to Iraq. At its heart, the 9/11 Heroes Run is a personal commitment to never forget the heroes of that day.

"The 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks is an opportunity to reflect," said foundation president Ryan Manion. "We reflect on the civilians and first responders we lost that day, and all those lost in the wars since, including my brother. But it's also an opportunity to act; to come together and remember what connects us as Americans, and to rediscover our unity and strength of character. This is what the 9/11 Heroes Run race series is all about."

Travis Manion Foundation's 9/11 Heroes Run is proud to have Comcast NBCUniversal as a national sponsor. For more information about the race series or registration, visit www.911heroesrun.org.

The Travis Manion Foundation unites communities to strengthen America's national character by empowering veterans and families of fallen heroes to develop and lead future generations. In 2007, 1st Lt. Travis Manion (U.S. Marine Corps) was killed in Iraq while saving his wounded teammates.

Today, Travis' legacy lives on in the words he spoke before leaving for his final deployment, "If Not Me, Then Who ..." Guided by this mantra, veterans continue their service, develop strong relationships with their communities, and thrive in their post-military lives by serving as character role models to youth. As a result, communities prosper and the character of our nation's heroes lives on in the next generation.

The story of 1st Lt. Travis Manion and his Naval Academy brother Lt. (SEAL) Brendan Looney have been publicized in the book "Brothers Forever."

Additional information about the Foundation can be found at www.travismanion.org.