The 2022 5K: Why I Run, With Robert Perretta

In just over a week — on Sunday, April 24 — the 9/11 Memorial & Museum 5K will take place in lower Manhattan, in person for the first time in three years. The route of our 5K 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. Here, Visionary Robert Perretta explains what the 5K means to him personally. 

At the time of the 9/11 attacks, I was a 15-year-old high school student studying in Canada. When the Twin Towers fell, I anxiously waited to hear from my family in New York. Coming from a family of first responders, I knew that many would be dispatched to the World Trade Center. Days later, I learned that my cousin, Michael D’Auria, had been killed.  

Michael was 25 years old on 9/11, when his FDNY company — Engine 40 — responded to the World Trade Center. He'd wanted to join the FDNY after graduating from high school, but was too young to take the entrance exam. Instead, he trained as a chef and worked in local restaurants. When he was old enough to take it, Michael earned a perfect score. He had spent only nine months on the job before 9/11. That day, Michael was one of many first responders who ran into the Towers while everyone else was running out. 

In the days and weeks after 9/11, my father and uncles attended many funerals — some of fellow firefighters and others of neighbors and friends from our Staten Island community. Before 2001 came to an end, I was diagnosed with cancer and the strength of my family was tested once again.

Years later, I dedicated myself to philanthropy. For the past 15 years, it has been an instrumental part of my life. I currently serve as co-chair for Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone Medical Center. It is an honor for me to give back to the same organization that saved my life. It was also essential for me to honor my cousin Michael’s legacy. Recently, I co-founded the 9/11 Memorial & Museum’s Visionary Network, providing an opportunity for young adults to engage with the Memorial through acts of advocacy and commemoration.

That’s why, this year, I am running in the 9/11 Memorial & Museum 5K on Sunday, April 24. There's still time to register: I hope you will be able to join me in running, to remember those killed over 20 years ago and to honor courageous first responders like Michael. Every dollar raised in support of the 5K directly supports the essential mission of the Museum and helps ensure that new generations never forget. 

By Robert Perretta