6 February 2012

CONTACTS: (Please do not publish these numbers. THE NUMBER FOR PUBLICATION IS THE RACE HOTLINE AT 301-320-3350):

Keith Peters, Media Coordinator
307-690-6803 or [email protected]

Frank McNally, Media Coordinator
703-801-2566 or [email protected]

Website: www.cherryblossom.org

Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Announces Partnership With Teens Run DC

Race organizers also issue reminder that special registration for Charity Race Entry Participants closes on March 1, 2012, and introduce E*TRADE and Gold’s Gym as new supporting sponsors

Washington, DC: Organizers of the Runner's Rite of Spring®, the 40th Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run and 5K Run-Walk, recently announced a partnership with Teens Run DC. For many of the youth participating in Teens Run DC (TRDC), the ten-mile race, to be held on April 1, 2012, will be the goal race of their winter/spring running season.

"The motto of Teens Run DC is we run this city," said Race Director Phil Stewart, "and we are pleased to partner with Teens Run DC to give at-risk youth in our community the opportunity to do just that – run along the National Mall, across Memorial Bridge, around the Tidal basin and out to Hains Point, all amidst the beauty of blossoming cherry trees."

Prior to running the city on April Fool's Day, Teens Run DC will also be out in full force at the Health and Fitness Expo, to be held on Friday, March 30, from noon to 7 pm, and Saturday, March 31, from 9 am to 5 pm at the National Building Museum.

In addition to some 100 teens and mentors running the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, another 15,000 runners will participate in the 10 Mile Run or 5K Run-Walk. Those runners were chosen by lottery in December from a total of 28,000 applicants.

Runners who did not get into the 2012 Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run or 5K Run-Walk through the lottery, however, can still sign up to become Charity Race Entry Participants until March 1, 2012. To become eligible for entry, runners must raise a minimum of $500 for Credit Unions for Kids, the official race charity. Every dollar raised for Credit Unions for Kids will be donated to the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, a network of 170 non-profit children’s hospitals located across North America. For more information on becoming a Charity Race Entry Participant, runners should refer to the event’s official fundraising Website: www.cucherryblossomfundraising.org.

In other race related news, Credit Union Cherry Blossom organizers announced the addition of E*TRADE and Gold's Gym as new supporting sponsors. E*TRADE is the presenting sponsor of the Interactive Race Results, and Gold's Gym is the presenting sponsor of the pace groups and pre-race warm-up.

Making the announcement, Race Director Phil Stewart said, "We are pleased to have E*TRADE and Gold's Gym join our family of sponsors. We are appreciative of their support of the interactive results and the pace groups."

The Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile serves as the only world-class road race in the Nation's Capital, and will offer $46,000 in prize money and time incentives to elite athletes from around the world. The top male and female athletes will earn checks for $7,500 each.

This year's event takes place on the second weekend of the National Cherry Blossom Festival®, the nation's greatest springtime celebration. The 2012 Festival, March 20 – April 27, includes five spectacular weeks of events featuring diverse and creative programming promoting traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty, and community spirit. The 2012 Festival commemorates the 100th anniversary of the gift of the cherry blossom trees and the enduring friendship between the United States and Japan.

About the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile:

The Credit Union Cherry Blossom is known as "The Runner’s Rite of Spring®." The staging area for the event is on the Washington Monument Grounds and the course passes in sight of all of the major Washington, DC Memorials. The event serves as a fundraiser for the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, a consortium of 170 premier children's hospitals across the United States. Since the Credit Unions became the title sponsor in 2002, over $5 million dollars has been raised through donations and fundraising on the part of the runners and individual sponsoring Credit Unions and partners. About one-third of these funds support Washington, DC's own Children's National Medical Center ("Children’s Hospital"). The event also funds two $5,000 Road Runners Club of America "Roads Scholar" grants designed to support up-and-coming U.S. distance running talent.

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