Winnipeg Métis woman to run 450 km for Drag the Red

Her cousin, Shawn Nepinak, was 28 when he took his own life by jumping into the Red River in July.

"They didn't know who we were, and they just volunteered all their time until he was found," she said. "It had a big impact [on us]. We were so grateful for them."

McKay's run is a fundraiser for the group who searches the Red River for missing and murdered Indigenous women. She hopes to buy them a boat or said at the very least pay for repairs on the boat they have.

She said her run is also about raising awareness about missing and murdered Indigenous people.

"With the whole inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women, I just felt like there are men out there too," she said "My family experienced it first hand. I was like, 'I want to do something big, this should be addressed.'"

McKay starts her run in Duck Bay, which is about 450 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg. She chose there as her starting point because her family is from the community. She decided in August to do the run.

"I went to my dad when he came home from work, and I said, 'I want to do a run for Shawn,'" she said. "He thought just around the city or something. I said, 'No. I want to run from Duck Bay to Winnipeg.'"

Her father and brother will accompany her on her run, which she expects will take 10 to 12 days. She said they will each drive a vehicle, one in front of her and one behind, to keep her safe.

"I'm preparing myself," she said. "It is going to be hard mentally too because I will be on the highway by myself."

McKay said she will be thinking of her cousin while she runs to keep herself going, even if she wants to stop.