Jerseys of every hue breezed through the streets of Kirkland on Memorial Day as a thousand riders braved the 7 Hills of Kirkland “Cycling to End Homelessness” event, presented by the Rotary Club of Kirkland Downtown. The event raised more than $86,000 from registrations, jersey sales, donations and sponsorships from over 16 businesses and community organizations including the Kiwanis Club of Kirkland, the City of Kirkland and the Heathman Hotel, to benefit KITH’s programs that help families transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency.
For the first time in 11 years, the 7 Hills of Kirkland sported a true ingredient of the Pacific Northwest — a lot of liquid sunshine. Most of the 1,151 riders pre-registered, but 173 cyclists woke up Memorial Day, looked out at the rain and decided to ride anyway, assembling at Marina Park to start their ride at 7 a.m. Josh Harris and his crew from Kirkland Bicycle were there to help them get geared up for the ride, and tune ups along the route were handled by Gregg’s Cycle and Pedal Dynamics.
Silver sponsors lined the pathways at Marina Park to greet riders upon their return from the original 7 Hills route (almost 40 miles), the metric century (nearly 60 miles) and the full century (100 mile) routes. Dripping wet riders rewarded themselves at the finish line, drying out under the pavilion and refueling with apple cinnamon gel from Hammer Nutrition, homemade cookies and strawberry shortcake, and coffee from Caffe Lladro and Starbucks. Many took advantage of complimentary massages from Dr. Angela Ahluwalia of Kirkland Life Chiropractic and “Want More Energy” drinks from Deborah Jones of Isagenix International, two of the Silver event sponsors.
The 2010 7 Hills of Kirkland will be an event to remember for all concerned, not only for the rain but for the record-breaking number of volunteers—93, including a team from Alaska USA Federal Credit Union. Food preparation in Kay’s kitchen at Savory Moment took less time, there was a great set-up crew, and plenty of volunteers to register and inform riders and clean up the pavilion. All five food stops, support cars, and delivery trucks were fully staffed by volunteers. The 7 Hills of Kirkland event succeeded due to the efforts of many neighbors coming together to support this major KITH fundraiser.
KITH is a non-profit organization of neighbors creating housing solutions. Find out more about KITH at www.kithcares.org.
