26 November 2018

Media Contact Information:
(not for publication)

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

Website: www.cherryblossom.org

Applications For 2019 Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run and 5K Run-Walk Lottery To Be Accepted Between Saturday, December 1 and 11:59 P.M. Wednesday, December 12

Official 2019 Race T-shirt Unveiled, Race Ambassadors To Be Introduced At Fall Kickoff Reception Presented by MedStar Sports Medicine on November 29

November 26, 2018, Washington, DC: With the opening of the entry lottery period just days away, organizers of the 47th 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 7, 2019 event:

Applications for the lottery to enter the 2019 Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run and 5K Run-Walk will be accepted starting at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, December 1 through 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, 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 Friday, December 14. All individuals who entered the lottery for the 2018 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 receive a guaranteed entry code that serves as a lottery exemption by raising a minimum of $500 for the official race charity, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. More information about the opportunity to become a Charity Race Entry Participant is available here.

The Credit Union Cherry Blossom Half-Mile Kids' Run will be held on Saturday, April 6, 2019, 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 non-competitive, fun run for kids ages 4 - 10 will be limited to the first 500 to register - Kids' Run registration will open on January 7, 2019, and the entry fee is $10.00, which includes a t-shirt; all finishers will receive a medal.

This year's Credit Union Cherry Blossom Fall Kickoff Reception, presented by MedStar Sports Medicine, will be held on Thursday evening, November 29 from 6:00-9:00 PM at the State Room, 201 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002. The evening's festivities will include a raffle for 25 lottery exemptions for the 2019 Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run, introduction of the 2019 Race Ambassadors and voting for the 2019 race t-shirt color. Tickets, which include one free drink, are $15 and can be purchased at http://www.cherryblossom.org.

Since 2002, the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run and 5K Run-Walk have raised over $8.5 million for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, with $380,000 of that total being raised this past year. The 2018 event marked the 17th year of title sponsorship by Credit Union Miracle Day.

About the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile

The Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile, organized by Cherry Blossom, Inc., a 501c(3) chapter of the Road Runners Club of America, 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. Other sponsors include Garmin, the presenting technology sponsor, and supporting sponsors E-Trade, Gatorade, Gold's Gym, Mamma Lucia, MedStar Sports Medicine, Navy Federal Credit Union, Potomac River Running, and Under Armour.

The event is a proud member of the PRRO Circuit (PRRO.org), a series of non-marathon prize money road races in Tampa, FL; Washington, DC; Spokane, WA; and Utica, NY. The circuit is committed to a drug-free sport and funds drug testing at all circuit events in compliance with the standards of international and U.S. drug testing authorities.

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 Credit Union Miracle Day:

Credit Union Miracle Day is a partnership of over 100 credit unions, CUSOs and partner organizations united to sponsor the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run promoting awareness of the credit union difference and benefitting Children's Miracle Network Hospitals nationwide.

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 115 million Americans do their banking at one of America's 5,700 credit unions. Credit unions are for everyone - no matter where you live, there is a credit union to meet your needs.