For the Reporter

Nearly 2,500 Fred Hutch Obliteride riders will pedal through Puget Sound communities on Aug. 11, raising funds to help Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Maps of the 25-, 50- and 100-mile routes are on Obliteride’s website.

This year people will also be able to participate in a 5K walk during Obliteride weekend.

The Obliteride 5K starts at the University of Washington. Participants can enjoy a jaunt down the Burke-Gilman trail to Gas Works Park, where they will join bike riders for a finish line celebration. Obliteride quickly established itself as the region’s premier fundraising bike ride, and organizers expect hundreds of new participants to join the inaugural walk.

“We’re excited to add this new way for people to support the innovative work we’re doing at Fred Hutch,” said Andrea Gomes Morrison, director of Fred Hutch Obliteride. “The Obliteride 5K is the only walk that gives people a ticket to the awesomeness of Obliteride weekend. Thanks to our generous sponsors, walkers and riders who raise $500 or more are treated to an amazing kickoff party at Seattle’s Gas Works Park with a delicious Tom Douglas dinner and rockin’ live entertainment.”

Thousands of people have pedaled in Obliteride and raised more than $12 million for Fred Hutch since the annual event began in 2013. Every rider-raised dollar goes directly to Fred Hutch.

Obliteride has funded a variety of research projects, including immunotherapy and studies related to brain, breast, lung, ovarian and prostate cancers. Fred Hutch’s pioneering research has saved hundreds of thousands of lives worldwide since its doors opened in 1975, and it is one of the world’s leading research organizations. Hutch scientists are working to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other diseases.

Sign up to ride, walk or volunteer at Obliteride.org. Online registration closes Aug. 3. Onsite registration will be available until one hour before the start of each route.