San Juan Regional Medical Center hosts Strides Against Suicide 5K in Farmington
San Juan County recorded 34 suicide deaths in 2023, and Farmington’s Strides Against Suicide 5K is set to raise money for help families can use now.
San Juan County’s toll from suicide remains stark, with 34 deaths recorded in 2023, and organizers say Farmington’s Strides Against Suicide 5K is meant to turn that loss into immediate help for survivors and families facing crisis.
San Juan Regional Medical Center is hosting the 2026 Strides Against Suicide 5K Walk & Run on Saturday, June 13, at Berg Park Pavilion, 400 Scott Ave. in Farmington. One listing places the event from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., while another says packet pickup begins at 7 a.m., registration runs until 7:50 a.m., and the run and walk start at 8 a.m.
Desert View Family Services and Counseling calls this year the 10th annual Strides Against Suicide 5K Run/Walk and says the event supports its 24/7 helpline, suicide prevention workshops, suicide grief support services, and a peer-to-peer mental health support text line for young people. Desert View says it was founded almost 24 years ago.
The event has grown from what local reporting described as a small memorial walk for a grieving mother into a broader annual gathering in San Juan County, bringing together families, survivors and advocates. A 2025 event included a candlelight vigil, and attendees were encouraged to bring photos and memories of loved ones lost to suicide; the 2026 gathering again includes a remembrance-focused component.
The walk and run also funds counseling and outreach tied to suicide prevention. In 2024, Desert View CEO Rick Quevedo said the event had raised more than $100,000 since 2015 to support crisis counseling for school-age students, patients released from the emergency room, and others with thoughts of suicide, along with outreach, prevention, training and education.
The broader numbers show why that work matters. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said suicide caused 49,316 deaths in the United States in 2023, and New Mexico’s 2024 suicide mortality data are final, with state rankings based on 2024 age-adjusted death rates. For families in immediate distress, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers 24-hour, toll-free, confidential help.
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