1 April 2014

Credit Union Cherry Blossom Media Contact Information:
(not for publication)

Keith Peters, Credit Union Cherry Blossom Media Coordinator
307-690-6803 or [email protected]

Website: www.cherryblossom.org

Contact Keith Peters for race-day media credentials and/or more detailed bio information on elite runners. Space on media trucks (one for the men’s race and one for the women’s race) is extremely limited, so call Keith to ensure seating. TV crews should also call in advance to secure parking for trucks on race morning.

April 1, 2014, Washington, DC: The lure of American Championship titles and the largest amount of prize money ever offered at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run has had the desired effect. With a total of $81,800 in prize money and bonuses available to top foreign and American runners, the likelihood of down-to-the-wire, record setting racing has never been better. Last year’s American champion Janet Bawcom will toe the starting line with the fastest 10 mile time among all women—her 53:28 American single sex record set here in 2013—while American Matt Tegenkamp has never been shy about running with the leaders in an international race. Tegenkamp will have his sights set on Greg Meyer’s longstanding American Record of 46:13, set here in 1983, which he will likely have to break if he hopes to win the race outright; course record holder Alan Kiprono ran a blistering 45:15 in 2012, and is returning to avenge his second place finish last year.

The women will start at 7:18 am on Sunday, April 6th, in order to allow their efforts and any potential records to be recognized as coming from a women’s only race; the men will start at 7:30 am. Secretary of the Department of the Interior Sally Jewell will be sounding the horn to signal the start of both races as well as giving a brief welcome speech to all runners.

“The opportunity to compete for the USA 10 Mile Championships Presented by America’s Credit Unions has proven to be quite a draw for the top American men and women this year,” said Phil Stewart, Event Director of the 42nd annual Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run. “Defending champion Janet Bawcom, will be joined on the starting line by two other former U.S. Olympians, Jen Rhines and Blake Russell, as well as Sara Hall, Lindsey Scherf and many other highly competitive American women. On the men’s side, Matt Tegenkamp headlines a field that includes Mo Trafeh, winner of both the Half Marathon and 25K USA Championships in 2013, Christo Landry and Matt Llano, who recently placed 4th and 5th, respectively, at the Gate River Run 15K in Jacksonville, Florida, and a deep roster of very talented American men.”

Stewart added: “The Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run has always featured highly competitive fields, with foreign runners winning the men’s and women’s races as far back as 1984. There has been a long drought of American winners—Chris Fox was the last American man to win the race in 1990, Joan Nesbit won the women’s race in 1996—and it’s exciting to think that we might see an American runner win the race outright this year.”

Stewart isn’t the only one who is excited about the upcoming race. 1983 Cherry Blossom champion and still American Record holder, Greg Meyer, who will be watching from the sidelines on Sunday has said: “While it's an honor to hold an American Record, it's time someone else owned it! My gosh, it's older than most of the Americans competing! I can't wait to see someone break it!”

In addition to Janet Bawcom and her fellow American competitors, the women’s field includes Ethiopian Mamitu Daska, winner of numerous U.S road races in 2013, including the Aramco Houston Half Marathon, the New York Mini 10K and the Boston B.A.A. 10K; Moroccan Malika Mejdoub, who ran 54:24 to place 2nd here in 2014; Aliphine Tuliamuk of Kenya, who recently won the Virginia Beach 8K and has a 10 mile personal best of 54:28; and, for the first time in a number of years, Japan will be represented by Inoko Higuchi, who has run 1:10:51 for the half marathon. With a personal best of 54:37, 2012 Olympian Claire Hallissey, representing Great Britain, living in Arlington, VA will be a local favorite. (More detail on the Women’s field is available at http://www.cherryblossom.org/images/2014/14_CUCB_Bios-Women.pdf)

The Kenyan Kiprono and Americans Tegenkamp, Trafeh and others will be joined at the start by a stellar field. Daniel Salel of Kenya won here last year in a time of 46:06; Kenyan Steven Sambu placed 4th here a year ago in 46:59 and recently ran 1:01:08 to place 3rd at the New York Half Marathon. Edward Kipyego, who boasts a half marathon personal best of 60:05, will surely give his fellow Kenyans a run for their money. Top local runners include Washington D.C. based runners Luke Meyer, the 1st American here in 2011, and Chris Kwiatkowski, who cracked the top 10 here last spring. (More detail on the Men’s field is available at http://www.cherryblossom.org/images/2014/14_CUCB_Bios-Men.pdf)

With the U.S. Championship purses being added to the traditional international purse, the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run will offer over $81,800 in prize money and bonuses this year. If an American man were to win the race and break the American record with a sub-46:00 time, he would earn $16,500. If an American woman were to win the race, and break the American record with a sub 52:00 time, she would also take home $16,500.

Since 2002, the sponsoring Credit Unions and race participants have raised over $6 million for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

About the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile:

The Credit Union Cherry Blossom is known as “The Runner’s Rite of Spring®,” and is the only truly elite road race in our Nation’s capital. 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. About one-third of the funds raised 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.

The Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run is a proud member of the Professional Road Running Organization (PRRO) Circuit. PRRO is an alliance of race directors who together organize the PRRO Circuit, a nationwide series of premier non-marathon road racing events. The PRRO Circuit races share a common commitment for a drug-free sport. All the circuit events pay for elite athlete drug testing in partnership with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).Circuit events include the World's Best 10K in San Juan, PR, the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, the Lilac Bloomsday 12K in Spokane, WA, the Boilermaker 15K in Utica, NY, and the AJC Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, GA. A trip to the PRRO Race of Champions at the 2014 Utica Boilermaker 15K on July 13, 2014 will be awarded to the first local man and woman.

Credit Union Miracle Day, Inc., a consortium of credit unions and credit union suppliers, is the title sponsor of the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run and 5K Run-Walk. PSCU is the lead financial partner of Credit Union Miracle Day, Inc. Supporting sponsors include New Balance, Gatorade, Navy Federal Credit Union, Larabar, Potomac River Running and BAE Systems.

Complete information about the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run and 5K Run-Walk can be found at: http://www.cherryblossom.org. 

About America’s Credit Unions:

Credit unions provide consumers choices for financial services such as checking accounts, investments and loans of all kinds including mortgages. Funds are federally insured, but unlike banks, there are no stockholders at credit unions. Earnings are returned to member-owners in the form of lower loan rates, higher savings rates, low or no-fee products and services. The credit union philosophy of placing members’ needs first is why more than 98.9 million Americans do their banking at one of America’s 6,800 credit unions. Credit unions are for everyone—no matter where you live, there is a credit union to meet your needs.