28 November 2017

Media Contact Information:
(not for publication)

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

Website: www.cherryblossom.org

Applications For 2018 Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run and 5K Run-Walk Lottery To Be Accepted Between Friday, December 1 and 11:59 P.M. Monday, December 11

Official 2018 Race T-shirt Unveiled, Race Ambassadors To Be Introduced At Fall Kickoff Reception Presented by MedStar Sports Medicine on November 30

November 28, 2017, Washington, DC: With the opening of the entry lottery period just days away, organizers of the 46th 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 8, 2018 event:

Applications for the lottery to enter the 2018 Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run and 5K Run-Walk will be accepted starting at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, December 1 through 11:59 p.m. Monday, December 11 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 14. All individuals who entered the lottery for the 2017 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 at www.cherryblossom.org on or before December 1 for complete details.

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

For the second year, the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Half-Mile Kids' Run will be held on Saturday, April 7, 2018, the day before the Ten Mile Run and 5K Run-Walk, and will start and finish at the National Building Museum, site of the event's Health and Fitness Expo. Registration for the fun run for kids ages 3 - 10 will be limited to the first 500 to register. Kids' Run registration will open on January 8, 2018 and the entry fee is $10.00.

This year's Credit Union Cherry Blossom Fall Kickoff Reception, presented by MedStar Sports Medicine, will be held on Thursday evening, November 30 at the National Building Museum. The evening's festivities will include a raffle for 25 lottery exemptions for the 2018 Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run, introduction of the 2018 Race Ambassadors and voting for the 2018 race t-shirt color. The event is sold out.

In 2012, race organizers launched an innovative social runner's program. It was renamed the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Race Ambassador Program last year. Several hundred applications for the 2018 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, Instagrammer Heather Mundwiler, Credit Union Cherry Blossom Blog editor Courtney (Coco) Carter and fundraising captain Elizabeth Pagel Hogan on the social media team.

This year's Race Ambassadors are:

Dale Gardner ran his first 5K in 2013; he has since run in multiple 5K's, several 10K's, one 20K, and this last September a half marathon near his home in the Shenandoah Valley. 2018 will mark his third Credit Union Cherry Blossom race. Dale writes and posts photos from runs on his blog, and can be found on Twitter and Instagram.

Deborah Brooks is the Moms Run This Town Chapter Leader in McLean, VA, where you will find her running and cavorting with her mom squad. Deborah also coaches Girls on the Run and writes for Women's Running Magazine. The 2008 Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run was her first 10-mile and, despite the pouring rain, she fell in love with long distance running. Find Deborah on her blog, Confessions of a Mother Runner, and on Instagram.

Laetitia-Laure Brock found her way to running through last year's Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run lottery. Since then, she has completed the Disneyland Paris Half Marathon - while wearing a mermaid costume - and the Marine Corps Marathon 10K. Laetitia is looking forward to running the Ten Mile Run again in 2018, but is determined to follow a proper training plan this time. You can follow Laetitia's training progress on Strava, Instagram and Twitter as well as on her blog French Twist D.C.

Sarah Beth Hensley is a lifelong runner who has competed in five marathons, more than 15 half marathons and loads of 10K and 5K races. This will be Sarah Beth's second Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run. Sarah Beth is a senior digital editor at WTOP.com, the website for WTOP Radio, where she keeps a training blog. You can also catch up with her on Instagram and Twitter.

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 as well as lots of free running gear from performance footwear and apparel sponsor Under Armour.

The 2018 event will mark the 17th year of title sponsorship by Credit Union Miracle Day. Since 2002, over $8 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 E-Trade, Gatorade, Gold's Gym, Mamma Lucia, MedStar Sports Medicine, Navy Federal Credit Union, Potomac River Running, Suburban Solutions, and Under Armour.

The event is a proud member of the PRRO Circuit (PRRO.org), a series of non-marathon prize money circuit with events in Tampa, FL; Washington, DC; Spokane, WA; Utica, NY; and Pittsburgh, PA. The circuit is committed to a drug-free sport and funds USADA to conduct drug testing at all circuit events.

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 Level Inspire Certification from the Council For Responsible Sport in recognition of its legacy of commitment to sustainability and thoughtful resource management. To learn more, visit 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 113 million Americans do their banking at one of America's 5,800 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