Photos: Travis Manion Heroes Run

About 150 runners honored Sept. 11 heroes in a 5K run that began and ended at Fisherman's Beach Sunday morning.

Event organizer Jim Kausek of Swampscott, an Army veteran, said Travis Manion Foundation Heroes Runs were being held throughout the country and six other countries.

The organizers' goal is to never forget the sacrifices of the Heroes of September 11, 2001 — the veteran, first responder, military, and civilian.

The Swampscott run raised about $8,000 from runners and donations from non-runners, he said. Half the proceed go to charities selected by local police and firefighters. 

The Swampscott run was less a race than a celebration and challenge for the men, women, children, parents and seniors who ran up Humphrey Street, around Littles Point and back to Fisherman's on Puritan. 

There was competition for first between Coast Guardsman Julio Garcia, stationed in Boston, and Littleton High School cross country runner Troy Taylor, 15.

Julio, wearing red, white and blue, flag-theme shorts, pulled out the win finishing the race in 17:58.

He said he had been browsing the Internet looking for races when he found the Heroes Run, and chose it because of the cause it represented.

"If you are going to run, you might as well run something worth running," he said.

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