A local man is planning a 9/11 tribute run up the beach steps in Morro Bay, near Toro Lane.
David Bradley will be running the stairs 22 times to total 1980 steps, the number of steps in the original World Trade Center. Bradley said he wants to honor the brave first responders and those who lost their lives in the terrorist attack.
"Anybody that rushes toward danger when everybody else is running away is a hero, so I want to honor them… I also want to honor all of the fallen, all of the people who died as a result of those attacks," said Bradley.
In addition to honoring responders, Bradley is asking the community to sponsor him to raise money for a charity that treats children burn victims. He approached Morro Bay Firefighters about his run, offering to raise money for the department.
Firefighters said they thanked him but said they don’t need donations and told him about the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation. The foundation is a California-based nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing burns and fires and providing services to people who have been impacted by burn injuries.
"It’s still like it’s yesterday for many of the guys, it changed everything that we did so David’s tribute tomorrow is wonderful," said Matt Vierra, Morro Bay Fire Marshal.
Staff host a summer camp for children who have suffered burn injuries. Bradley is raising money to send ten children to the camp to get treatment.
He has set up a GoFundMe to raise money ahead of his race. He is aiming to raise $7,500.
Bradley will be running Tuesday morning at 6 a.m. Morro Bar Firefighters said they will be there to cheer him on.
For a list of other 9/11 events happening across the central coast, click here.
