Frequently Asked Questions

Defeat Multiple Myeloma 2024 will be hybrid. Choose to join us in person at Magnuson Park in Seattle, WA on June 30, or join virtually from anywhere. See Race Info for details.  

The event is free for patients and survivors of multiple myeloma. Adult registration ranges from $30-$45 and registration for kids 10 and under ranges from $15-$20. See Registration for details.

There are many parking lots within Magnuson Park. Enter the park using the 65th Street entrance and follow the signs to the race start. Look for your parking map in the pre-race email. 

In-person options are either a 5K or 1 mile. 

No, we are there until the last person finishes!   

Because of our vulnerable population, we ask that you please be vaccinated for the in-person event. If you are unvaccinated please consider signing up for our virtual option. Please stay home if you are feeling ill. 

Of course! There will be a water station at the halfway mark of the 5K and we will have water and snacks at the finish line.

Yes, we just ask that you line up at the back of the starting area.

Yes, if they are well-behaved and on a short leash. We ask that you line up at the back of the starting area. 

While the in-person option is a 5K or 1 mile run/walk, the virtual option can be whatever distance works for you. Find a route that is a safe place to run or walk with good sidewalks. Check out your neighborhood or visit a new one.

Sign up for the virtual option and run/walk whenever works for your schedule. Make sure you share pictures on social media using #defeatmyeloma.

Yes! We would love to have your help. Learn more here.  

2024 photo album can be found here.  

A race shirt, custom bib, fully supported 5K or 1 mile course, and after party snacks. If you sign up for the virtual option, your registration also includes shipping of all your swag.

Sign up here.

Donate here.

Create a team when signing up.

Creating a team creates an added level of connection with your friends and family. As a team you can all decide to wear the same hat, create a group chat if you're joining virtually, or send each other photos. You can also send your team emails and be notified when someone joins your team via your fundraising page. 

First, get the name of the team you want to join. Then on our sign up page fill in your information and click Yes when asked if you wish to join a team. Search for your team name and click Join. 

Speak with friends and family in person, send an email with links, and post on social media. And feel free to reach out - we're always happy to help with ideas! 

Great job, keep it up! We have some sweet prizes for you. See Fundraising for details.

*Exact details regarding incentive events will be communicated to prize winners in late Fall 2024.

No, however we encourage you to tap into your network and fundraise to accelerate multiple myeloma research at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. You can enter any fundraising goal you wish.

Donate online with your credit card. Alternatively, you can mail in donations (cash, check or credit card) using our offline donation form. Please make checks payable to Fred Hutch/Defeat. If you are donating to a specific participant (walker, runner, or virtual participant), be sure to include the participant and team name to whom you are donating on the check FOR/memo line. 

If you receive a check that is made out to you, you can endorse the check on the back to Fred Hutch/Defeat. Please do not deposit the check into your personal account and write a new check or pay via credit card. We must have the original check endorsed to Fred Hutch/Defeat for the donor to receive a tax receipt. Be sure to include the participant or team name to whom you are donating on the check FOR/memo line. Complete the offline donation form and mail to:  

Fred Hutch Philanthropy - Defeat 5K 

1100 Fairview Ave. J5-200  

Seattle, WA 98109

Cash donations can only be accepted in-person at the Fred Hutch philanthropy office if a tax acknowledgement is required. We cannot guarantee the receipt of any cash donations sent via mail. If you receive cash and have the name and address of the donor, we will send a thank you and tax acknowledgement. If you choose to deposit the cash donation and write us a check or make a donation online, we cannot send the donor a tax acknowledgement. For your convenience, an offline donation form is available.

Yes. Defeat Multiple Myeloma is an event benefiting Fred Hutch, a nonprofit corporation incorporated in the state of Washington and accepting donations from all 50 states. Our tax ID number is 23-7156071. All donations made to Fred Hutch are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.  If you donate online you will receive your tax receipt instantly via email - please keep it for your records. If you donate via check, the name and address appearing on the check will receive a thank you and tax acknowledgment. If you donate cash and have the name and address of the donor, we will send a thank you and tax acknowledgement. If a donation is not received directly to Fred Hutch by the donor, we cannot provide a tax acknowledgement.  Donations received via check or cash will be acknowledged via mail no later than January 31, 2025.

Individual donations are made directly to the participant and count towards their fundraising goal. To make an individual donation, visit our donate page and select a participant. Use the participant search function by entering the participant’s first and last names and clicking the ‘search’ button. Scroll down to view results.  Team donations benefit the overall team. Donations made to a team can be moved to an individual participant as long as the team captain emails us. To donate to a team, use the team search function by entering the participant’s first and last names and clicking the ‘search’ button. Scroll down to view results.

Definitely! Simply ask your HR rep or your employer's matching gifts rep to submit the paperwork to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. Be sure to note the matching gift is for Defeat. Once we receive the matching gift, we’ll post to your participant page. Please note the time it takes to receive the actual gift can vary depending on your company. Some companies will send the money within a couple weeks of your request, while others take months to send the money.  Check to see if your company has a matching gift program by clicking here.  Matching gifts are an easy way to increase your fundraising. Be sure to encourage your donors to submit matching gift requests to leverage your fundraising.

They can simply donate by credit card to your personal fundraising page and just enter the amount in American dollars. Please encourage any Canadian friends to donate online instead of by check.

We want our donors and volunteers to know with perfect confidence that their donations and time will be going to directly support multiple myeloma research. The work being done at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center is on the cutting edge, moving fast, and providing great results to date. They have made it clear to us: our support helps them get new treatment options to patients faster.

Multiple myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells found in bone marrow. The disease occurs when the body makes too many abnormal plasma cells called myelomas. Plasma cells are created when a type of lymphocyte called a B-cell responds to an infection. Normal plasma cells help the immune system fight disease by making antibodies (immunoglobulins) which attack and kill germs. 

When plasma cells become cancerous and grow out of control, they can produce a tumor called a plasmacytoma. These tumors generally develop in bone, but can also be found in other tissues. If someone has more than one plasmacytoma, they have multiple myeloma.

Patients with multiple myeloma present with a number symptoms including low blood counts, bone and calcium problems, frequent infections, and kidney problems. Bone pain, anemia, fatigue and more frequent infections are all traits of multiple myeloma. 

Chemotherapy, stem cell transplant, and targeted radiation therapy are the most common. However, the funds raised by events like Defeat Multiple Myeloma are supporting research into new treatments like immunotherapy using targeted T-Cells. 

Despite the crippling nature of the symptoms and the fact that multiple myeloma is the second most common blood cancer, there is poor awareness, relatively little funding, and few truly effective treatments. However, in the past decade, research into multiple myeloma has progressed rapidly. The incredible advancements make us optimistic that a cure is within reach. Defeat Multiple Myeloma’s mission is to support promising, early-stage, multiple myeloma research aimed at finding a cure. However, we need the help of people like you to make that happen.

The Fred Hutch website is a great resource for further information about multiple myeloma and many other diseases. 

Immunotherapy is an innovative treatment approach that empowers the human immune system to overcome cancer and other debilitating diseases.  The immune system — a complex conglomerate that includes disease-fighting cells and proteins — is well-known for its remarkable ability to locate, recognize and attack invaders like the common cold. However, the immune system is not always able to eliminate cancer cells when they form. And once malignant tumors like multiple myeloma develop, they can use a variety of evasion tactics to outwit the immune system.  

Thanks to continually evolving research, scientists at Fred Hutch have discovered new ways to tap into the immune system's inherent disease-fighting power and give it the upper hand against cancer. The most exciting part? Because immunotherapies harness the patient’s own immune system, they are far less likely to produce the side effects common to traditional multiple myeloma treatments.