To honor the nearly 3,000 lives lost on 9/11, UPSers around the world proudly took part in the fifth annual 9/11 Promise Run and Ride. It wasn’t a race. It wasn’t about being first. It was about participating, remembering, honoring and helping children and families of first responders and military service members killed, injured or out of work.

The 9/11 Promise Run and Ride is normally a three-day event, with runners starting in Washington, D.C. — alongside a simultaneous bike ride from the Pentagon Memorial to the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, Pa. — and the event culminating at the 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero in New York City. But this year was different, of course, and the event took place almost entirely in a virtual manner.

More than 200 UPS employees, representing every U.S. state and seven countries, took part virtually — including UPS Executive Chairman of the Board David Abney. They ran or biked 9.11 miles. Some started exactly at 9:11 a.m. They took pictures and videos, logged their time, and many donated to the fundraising effort, building on the major corporate sponsorship from UPS.

But one group went above and beyond. More than 30 UPSers ran in-person in New York City, departing at 9:11 a.m. from UPS’s 43^rd St. sortation hub and running south along the Hudson River in the early morning hours — finishing at the 9/11 Memorial.

UPS Chief Corporate Affairs and Communications Officer Laura Lane was among that group in New York City. Capturing the mood of the event, she said, “Running with so many fellow UPSers virtually and in person was simply inspiring. We will never, ever forget.  While we couldn’t run from D.C. to NYC this year, we were going to be unstoppable. We were the only major corporate group out there, and we were determined to honor 9/11, and everyone who gave their lives for others. In true UPS fashion, we found a way, masked up and 6 feet apart.”

UPS invites you to contribute to the fundraising effort of the 9/11 Promise Run & Ride: http://www.the911promise.org/.

#UPSwillneverforget