9/11 Memorial Stair Climb & Day of Remembrance, Presented by Lakewood Ranch Medical Center
On a September morning, the steps of Nathan Benderson Park’s Finish Tower will become more than a route to the water.
By Edit Sarasota Staff
On a September morning, the steps of Nathan Benderson Park’s Finish Tower will become more than a route to the water. They will serve as a place of remembrance, where the steady rhythm of climbing gives physical form to an act of memory.
The 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb and Day of Remembrance, presented by Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, arrives on the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001. The inaugural event invites Sarasota and Manatee county residents to gather alongside local first responders, active-duty military members, veterans, families, and neighbors in tribute to the lives lost and the heroes who answered the call that day.
Participants may walk, climb, or run the six flights of steps on both sides of the Finish Tower staircase. Those who complete the full course will reach the equivalent of 110 stories—the height associated with the World Trade Center towers—though the event is designed to accommodate many forms of participation. A single deliberate ascent, taken in silence or conversation, carries its own meaning. So does the decision to show up.
That flexibility is part of what makes a memorial in a public park so resonant. Nathan Benderson Park is best known as a gathering place for rowing competitions, regattas, festivals, and outdoor recreation, a landscape shaped by motion and collective energy. For one day, its Finish Tower will offer a different kind of vantage point: a structure transformed into a setting for patriotism, grief, gratitude, and community solidarity.
The presence of first responders and military personnel will add a personal dimension to the observance, while families and civilians will bring the broader community into the circle of remembrance. Twenty-five years on, the event acknowledges that memory is not static. It is carried forward through ritual, through shared effort, and through the willingness to tell younger generations why the date still matters.
Presented by Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, the gathering also reflects the role local institutions can play in creating spaces for reflection and connection. The climb is not a competition so much as a communal act: every step marking a life, a sacrifice, or a promise to remember.
The 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb and Day of Remembrance will take place Friday, September 11, 2026, at the Finish Tower at Nathan Benderson Park. Participants may complete the ascent at their own pace, joining the community in honoring the fallen and those who served.