“All of us are united by a common purpose: to take action and help cure cancer faster,” participant Neda Vaseghi told her fellow Obliteriders. Sharing how cancer had touched her life and the lives of her loved ones, her mic-drop-moment speaking to cyclists before they set out on their 50-mile ride on Saturday conveyed a double meaning for a future free of cancer: “See you at the finish line,” she said.
This year marked the 12th annual Fred Hutch Obliteride. Obliteride is a bike ride and 5K walk/run that connects and empowers people to help cure cancer faster by raising funds for Fred Hutch Cancer Center. Kicking off with a Friday night party, the festivities closed out Saturday evening from Seattle’s Gas Works Park where participants and their loved ones celebrated completing 25-, 50-, and 100-mile rides and the 5K walk/run earlier in the day.
“To overcome cancer, you need to have a community,” said Thomas J. Lynch Jr., MD, president and director of Fred Hutch and holder of the Raisbeck Endowed Chair, to the crowd of Obliteriders and guests on Friday night. With more than 6,200 people registered, and more than 800 volunteers, this year’s event was the largest ever.
In addition to individuals, nearly 500 teams participated, including 100 corporate teams from around the region that brought their employees together to build camaraderie in the walk/run, the rides, and through volunteering and fundraising.
Innovations in cancer research rely on philanthropic support, and Obliteride has raised more than $56 million over 12 years to propel discoveries at Fred Hutch. So far this year, more than 21,000 donors have contributed, and there’s still time to give. Fundraising continues through Sept. 30.
Thanks to Obliteride's 40+ sponsors and event supporters, 100% of participant-raised funds go directly to work advancing cancer research at Fred Hutch. Participants fundraise for the areas most meaningful to them — including specific disease areas, programs, researchers or clinicians. Every dollar matters.
For more inspiration, check out the visual storytelling below, and mark your calendar now for next year's Obliteride on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025! We’d love to have you join us.
View and share more Obliteride pictures on Facebook and Instagram (@Obliteride/#Obliteride).
Thanks to the Sloan Foundation, University Village, Amazon, Edward Jones, Sinegal Family Foundation, KING 5 and other sponsors and partners for their generous support of Obliteride. Their dedication makes this event possible.
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Alice Skipton is a writer on the Philanthropy team at Fred Hutch Cancer Center. She has a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative nonfiction writing and has been a strategic communicator for over 20 years. She started her career at Casey Family Programs and she’s done extensive storytelling for other foundations and nonprofits both locally and nationally. Reach her at askipton@fredhutch.org.
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For the Media