Nathan Benderson Park to host 9/11 memorial stair climb

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Published September 1, 2026 4:45 PM EDT

The Brief

    • First responders, health partners and community members are preparing to walk, run or climb six flights of stairs 17 times at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota.
    • The memorial stair climb honors the victims and heroes of the Sept. 11 attacks while marking 25 years since the tragic day.
    • Lakewood Ranch Medical Center will provide mental health support tools like Talkspace for area emergency crews during National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.

SARASOTA, Fla. - Firefighters, emergency crews and community members are preparing to gather at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota for a memorial stair climb honoring those who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001.

Sarasota 9/11 Memorial

What we know:

Participants at Nathan Benderson Park will walk, run or scale the six-flight finish tower 17 times to pay tribute to 9/11 victims and first responders. 

Area firefighters plan to complete the physical challenge wearing their full protective gear.

"By us being able to do this allows us to remember the firemen who did do that," said Ryan Burns of Venice Fire Rescue. "Those are true, real fireman. Like the New York City fireman is as cool as it gets, as tough as it gets. For us to be able to get out of bed and walk up the stairs and to sweat and to do that is extremely powerful."

A community beacon

Dig deeper:

Event organizers will set up hydration stations and a dedicated cooldown lounge to keep participant safety a priority. The community event is open to the public, though organizers ask participants to pre-register online.

"The finish tower at Nathan Benderson Park is a natural beacon in the community," said Marnie Buchsbaum of Nathan Benderson Park. "It’s where people come to celebrate, to remember, to work out, and we are so proud to be part of this commemorative celebration this year."

First responder mental health

What they're saying:

"The finish tower at Nathan Benderson Park is a natural beacon in the community," said Marnie Buchsbaum of Nathan Benderson Park. "It’s where people come to celebrate, to remember, to work out, and we are so proud to be part of this commemorative celebration this year."

Lakewood Ranch Medical Center stressed the importance of ensuring first responders are taken care of. 

"We want to make sure that our EMS partners and the county teams are aware that this is available to them if they should need it or should they have any sort of situation they want to talk about," said Megan Batty of Lakewood Ranch Medical Center.

"What they’re doing day-to-day today is no different than what they did 25 years ago, so they still need that level of support," said Jamie Billingsley, Emergency Management Coordinator at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center. "It isn’t just when they’re at the scene or in the moment, they carry that home with them, they deal with the repercussions of the things they see day in and day out, and those things are cumulative so we need to do our best to provide them with ongoing support just as we did 25 years ago we want to do the same thing today."

Nathan Benderson Park registration

What you can do:

Community members can register for the free 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at Nathan Benderson Park online here.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon , who spoke with representatives from Nathan Benderson Park and Lakewood Ranch Medical Center. 

SarasotaSeptember 11