Corrales Ditch Run to raise funds for organization supporting Search and Rescue

CORRALES, N.M. – This weekend is the last weekend of early bird sign-ups for the September 15 Corrales Ditch Run that is raising money for a special cause.

The Kiwanis Club is partnering with Dave Gives Back to raise money for search and rescue efforts. Dave Cook, the organization’s namesake, never returned home after attempting to hike to a 14,000-foot Colorado summit five years ago.

The run will be raising awareness to search and rescue in honor of Cook, who left behind a wife and three kids.

"He is a very experienced mountaineer and well-trained," Maureen Cook, of Dave Gives Back, said. "He had climbed over 15 peaks in Colorado in his lifetime and we don’t know what happened. Something tragic occurred and we’ve never found him, so search and rescue was such a huge part of our lives and was just amazing. They stepped up and coordinated all of the searches."

Early bird registration closes September 5. Anyone registering after the date will have to pay a late fee for the September 19 run. Event details, including registration, is up on Dave Gives Back’s website.