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Man running 100 miles to honor father killed on 9/11

NORTH ADNOVER, Mass. — A North Andover man is getting ready to run 100 miles, 30 hours straight, in his memory of his father who died on Sept. 11, 2001.

It's been 15 years since Phil Guzman was working on the 105th floor of the Twin Towers. Fifty-four-year-old Phil called home and told his son that he was fine, while looking down on 1 World Trade Center.

"My father had called my brother, left him a voicemail after the first plane had struck, and said, 'I'm up here, crazy accident at the Tower next door,' and on the 105th floor, he was actually looking down at what occurred. He said, 'well back to work.' That was his work ethic," said Peter Guzman.

At 9:03 a.m., Flight 175 slammed into the 78th to 84th floors.

"I think of him and I smile. I don't think of him and think about towers coming down," Peter Guzman told FOX25.

Now 35 years old, with a family of his own, Peter Guzman was a junior in college when his father was killed.

Peter said that losing his father forever changed his perspective on life.

"You really need to try and understand and appreciate what you do have. I still have my mother. I still have my brother. I have my family now. I feel blessed for that," he said.

Phil was a brilliant mathematician, holding a Ph.D. from Princeton. He was also a member of MENSA.

Peter's new outlook inspired him and his brother to establish The Phil Guza Memorial Scholarship supports graduating high school seniors who are pursuing math or science.

At the end of September, Peter will fly to Arizona to run 100 miles to raise money for the foundation.

It's a goal Peter admits many, including his own family, believe to be a little crazy. However, he says it's one his father, who was ambitious and quirky, would appreciate.

"I'm very excited about it and I'm confident when I'm tired in the middle of the night, 80 miles into this event, I'll be thinking about my dad and I'll be encouraged to move forward and get to the finish line," he said.

As the 15th anniversary draws closer, Peter said he's looking forward to commemorating those who lost their lives so tragically that day.