Friends Honor Late Climber By Running, Raising Funds For Mountain Trails
By Joel Hillan
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4) – A small group of Coloradans including Stephen Small ran the Horsetooth Half Marathon in memory of their friend Jake Lord.
"We thought we would all run this and it was a good way to honor him and do something good while we are at it," said fundraising organizer Stephen Small.
Jake died last July in a hiking accident on his way to the summit of Capitol Peak.
As they run, they are raising money for the Colorado 14ers initiative, a nonprofit out of Golden. They work on trail construction projects on Colorado's highest peaks to make them safer.
"A big part of why our friend was killed was because he got off route on one of the more difficult 14ers, Capitol Peak. So we thought that by raising money for this nonprofit that money will go directly back into the trail system and help keep people safe when they are recreating in the back country," said Small.
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So far Team Jake been able to raise over $8,000. Their goal is to get to $10,000.
"He would be stoked," Small said. "He would be really happy we think."
A fun way to remember Jake, while at the same time creating a legacy in his honor.
LINKS: Jake Lord's GoFundMe Page | Colorado Fourteeners Initiative
Joel Hillan anchors CBS4 This Morning on weekends as well as reports stories for CBS4 News at 5 and 6 p.m. Follow Joel on Twitter @joelhillan.
