29 November 2016

Media Contact Information:
(not for publication)

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

Website: www.cherryblossom.org

Applications for 2017 Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run and 5K Run-Walk Lottery to Be Accepted Between Thursday, December 1 and 11:59 P.M. Monday, December 12

2017 Credit Union Cherry Blossom Official Race T-shirt Unveiled And Race Ambassador Contest Winners Announced At Fall Kickoff Reception Presented by MedStar Sports Medicine

November 29, 2016, Washington, DC: With the opening of the entry lottery period just days away, organizers of the 45th running of the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run and 5K Run-Walk, known as "the Runner's Rite of Spring®" in the Nation's Capital, have established the following lottery entry procedures for entry into the April 2, 2017 event:

Applications for the lottery to enter the 2017 Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run and 5K Run-Walk will be accepted from Thursday, December 1 through 11:59 p.m. Monday, December 12 on the event website, www.CherryBlossom.org. The status of all lottery registrants - whether accepted or not - will be posted on the event website by 10 a.m. on Thursday, December 15. All individuals who entered the lottery for the 2016 race - whether accepted or not - will receive an email reminder directly from event organizers about the opening of the lottery. Others are encouraged to visit the event's website on or before December 1 for complete details.

Runners can bypass the entry lottery by registering to become a Charity Race Entry Participant; Charity Race Entry Participants gain a lottery exemption by raising a minimum of $500 for the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals through the official race charity, Credit Unions for Kids. More information about the opportunity to become a Charity Race Entry Participant is available here.

Please note: In 2017, the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Kids' Run will be moving to Saturday, April 1, and will start and finish at the National Building Museum. Registration for the fun run for kids ages 5 - 12 will be limited to the first 500 to register - Kids' Run registration will open on January 9, 2017.

Credit Union Cherry Blossom organizers hosted over 200 race enthusiasts at their annual Fall Kickoff Reception presented by MedStar Sports Medicine on Friday evening, November 18 at MedStar Health's recently-opened state of the art sports medicine facility at Lafayette Center at 1120 20th St., NW, Washington, DC. Among the highlights of the evening were the presentation of the official 2017 t-shirt design and the announcement of the 2017 Race Ambassadors.

In his comments about the official t-shirt design, Event Director Phil Stewart said: "Seventeen-year old Annette Asare is our youngest t-shirt design artist ever, but the high school senior is long on talent, as shown by her striking depiction of a cherry tree in bloom which will adorn the 2017 participant shirts."

In 2012, race organizers launched an innovative social runner's program, which was renamed the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Race Ambassador Program this year. Several hundred applications for the 2017 program were received by Credit Union Cherry Blossom organizers, and four runners were ultimately chosen to blog, Tweet and post comments and photos about their Cherry Blossom experiences on Facebook and Instagram. They'll join social media coordinator Kim Westrich, fundraising captain Elizabeth Pagel Hogan, and Credit Union Cherry Blossom Blog editor Courtenay (Coco) Brinckerhoff on the social media team.

Adam Lesser was born and raised in the DC area and has been a runner for more than 20 years, beginning in high school and then competing in endurance sports after college. Adam is a Boston Qualifier, RRCA certified and Potomac River Running coach, and =PR= Race Team member. Check out Adam's blog and follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

Heather Mundwiler will be running the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile for the second time, and she can't wait. Heather blogs about her running and other adventures at 3 Black Cat Co. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

Holly Sajna blogs at My Own Kind of Beautiful, where her main goal is to encourage others in their own fitness journey while honestly sharing hers. Holly is overly optimistic and makes that known to everyone she comes in contact with. She will be turning 30 during Cherry Blossom weekend and plans to celebrate the whole year long by running her first full marathon later in 2017. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

Sara Brown blogs at CapitalRunnerGirl.com. This will be Sara's second time running the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile. A Nebraska native and full-time public policy advocacy professional, Sara has lived in Washington, DC since 2008 and still considers the National Mall to be her favorite place to run. Follow Sara on Twitter and Instagram.

In appreciation of their efforts to help generate online buzz about the race, this year's Race Ambassadors will receive free entries into the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile, free enrollment in Potomac River Running's In-person Training Program or Virtual Training Program presented by Under Armour, as well as lots of free running gear from recently announced performance footwear and apparel sponsor Under Armour.

Speaking from the floor of the high-tech motion analysis lab at the MedStar Sports Medicine offices, Dr. Bryan Murtaugh and Nicole Shenk from MedStar Sports Medicine - our newest partner - announced the upcoming Medstar Educational seminars which will be held leading up to the race. These seminars will concentrate on Strength and Training, Race Nutrition, Race Strategies and Recovery. These seminars will supplement the online Virtual Training Program presented by Under Armour and Potomac River Running's In-person Training Program.

The 2017 event will mark the 16th year of title sponsorship by Credit Union Miracle Day. Since 2002, over $7.5 million has been raised 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®" in the 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 North America. About one-third of the funds raised support Washington, DC's own Children's National ("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.

Credit Union Miracle Day, Inc., a consortium of credit unions and credit union suppliers in partnership with CUNA Mutual Group and PSCU, is the title sponsor of the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run, 5K Run-Walk and Kids’ Run. Supporting sponsors include Gatorade, Gold’s Gym, MarathonFoto, MedStar Sports Medicine, Navy Federal Credit Union, Potomac River Running and Under Armour.

The event is a proud member of the PRRO Circuit (www.PRRO.org), a five-race non-marathon prize money circuit with events in Utica, NY; San Juan, PR; Washington, DC; Spokane, WA; and Pittsburgh, PA. The circuit is committed to a drug-free sport and funds USADA to conduct drug testing at all circuit events. In 2017, the winning male and female at Cherry Blossom are eligible for the $10,000 PRRO Super Bonus if they go on to win the PRRO Championship at the EQT Pittsburgh Ten Miler in fall 2017; if they place in the top 10 at the PRRO Championship, they earn the PRRO Event Champion's bonus of $1,500.

In addition to being sanctioned by USA Track & Field and the Road Runners Club of America, the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Run has earned Gold certification from the Council For Responsible Sport for its many environmentally and socially responsible initiatives. 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 108 million Americans do their banking at one of America's 6,063 credit unions. Credit unions are for everyone-- no matter where you live, there is a credit union to meet your needs.

To find a credit union near you visit: www.asmarterchoice.org or www.culookup.com