Entry Information

Entry Instructions

In-Person Race: The 2021 Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run and 5K Run-Walk will be held in-person on Sunday, September 12, 2021. The Lottery for entry into the in-person race will open on June 1, 2021 and close on June 13, 2021. See below for full details.

Virtual Run: There will be a Virtual Run of the Ten Mile Run and 5K Run-Walk from March 20 through April 11 so everyone can still get out and enjoy the cherry blossoms! Click Here for details on the Virtual Run.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: In order to reduce the chances of not receiving our messages regarding the lottery and the race itself, individuals are encouraged to “white list” or put on their list of approved email addresses the following email addresses:

[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

A Word on COVID-19

Due to the cancellation of the race last year and the continuing restrictions brought on by COVID-19, we have decided to hold a virtual run during our usual timeframe for the "Runner's Rite of Spring" from March 20 - April 11, and then hold our in-person race on September 12, 2021. While nothing can be completely certain with COVID-19, it appears that there will be a vaccine in wide enough distribution for the event to take place safely in-person in September. We will continue to monitor the situation to make sure that the race can proceed in a safe manner.

If cancellation does occur, registrants will have several options on what happens with their entry fees. CLICK HERE for the 2021 race cancellation policy.

 

Guaranteed Entries from the 2020 Race

Part of our field will be filled by those who were entered into the 2020 race but after the cancellation chose to get a guaranteed entry to the 2021 race at the prevailing entry fee. If you fall into that category, click the button below for information on how to obtain your guaranteed entry and register for the race. This registration will begin on June 1, 2021. IMPORTANT NOTE: Runners with a guaranteed entry from the cancelled 2020 events will be offered a choice of race dates: September 12, 2021, or April 3, 2022, which will celebrate the 48th running of the Runner’s Rite of Spring® in our nation’s capital. Click Here for full details on how to use your guaranteed entry, either for 2021 or 2022.

The Lottery

For those who did not enter the race in 2020 or who did not opt for the guaranteed entry when the race was cancelled, the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run and 5K Run-Walk will be using a lottery system to select the balance of our 2021 race entries after the guaranteed entries from the 2020 race are accepted.

Here is how the lottery system will work. Prospective entrants will be able to register for the lottery starting on Tuesday, June 1 and extending through 11:59 P.M. on Sunday, June 13 on the event website, www.cherryblossom.org. When registering, prospective entrants will complete and submit the entire entry form including the credit card information. However, credit cards will not be charged unless the applicant is selected. The entry fees for 2021 are:

10 Mile - $50 (plus online registration fee)
5K - $40 (plus online registration fee)

(Please note that pre-registration is required for the 2021 Kids’ Run, but it will be held on a first-come, first-served basis and will open later in June 2021. The Kids’ Run is limited to 500 entrants.)

Lottery Groups: The lottery will be able to handle “Lottery Groups” of up to 10 people. This is designed to allow families and other groups either to get in or not get in as a “Group.” Each “Group” has exactly the same chance of getting in as each single individual. The first person in a “Group” will set up the group, give it a name and register himself or herself as the first member of the Group. When subsequent members go to register, they will be able to affiliate with that “Group” by using a drop down menu on the registration form. Please note that no additional members can be added to a “Lottery Group” after the lottery period closes.  The “Lottery Groups” exist only for purposes of entering the lottery. Once the lottery is held, the “Lottery Groups” are disbanded. Lottery Groups may consist of runners entered in both the 10 Mile and the 5K Run-Walk. The event the runner who creates the Lottery Group registers for will determine if the Lottery Group is entered into the 10 Mile Run or 5K Run-Walk lottery.

Once this registration period is closed, those who registered with Guaranteed Entry Links will be accepted into the race. The remainder of the accepted runners will be selected from those who registered for the lottery. The lottery drawing will be conducted from June 14-15, with the lottery results and a list of those accepted through Guaranteed Entry Links posted on the event website by Wednesday, June 16. All lottery registrants will also receive an email indicating their status (these emails may precede the posting of the list on the website). Individuals (and members of Lottery Groups) not selected will not have their credit cards charged for the entry fee or for any ancillary items purchased such as the “Upgrade” performance shirts, medals and carbon offsets.

Please consult the “Lottery FAQs” on the website for more detailed answers to questions regarding the lottery.

Click Here to Sign up for the 2021 Lottery Notification List

If you entered the 2020 event, whether or not you were selected to participate in the event, we have your email address and will send you an email notification of the opening of the lottery in late May 2021. The lottery will open June 1, 2021. If you did not enter the 2020 event and wish to receive notification of the 2021 entry process by e-mail, please click the link above and complete the Notification Request form.

NOTE: We cannot be responsible for your email host failing to deliver our emails. For instructions on how to maximize your chances of our emails being properly delivered, CLICK HERE.

Race Cancellation Due to COVID-19

If COVID-19 forces us to cancel the race after registration has begun, runners accepted into the 2021 race will have three options*:

  1. A full refund of your entry fee of $50 for the ten mile and $40 for the 5K Run-Walk (with options to have your shirt and medal ordered shipped to you for $10.00, or available for pick-up at the race office, warehouse or at select Potomac River Running locations).
  2. Direct transfer of your entry into the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Virtual Run with shirts and medals mailed at no additional charge. As a note, the Virtual Run will be open to registrants who did not register for the in-person ten mile or 5K Run-Walk as well. The Virtual Run entry fee will be $40.00, which will include having a t-shirt and a medal shipped to participants.
  3. Donation of your entry fee to Children's Miracle Network and free shipping of any medals or shirts ordered.

*Note: If you registered for the 2021 race with a Guaranteed Entry Link from 2020, you will be eligible for the 3 options above, plus your Guaranteed Entry Link will automatically roll over to 2022. For more on Guaranteed Entry Links, CLICK HERE.

Charity Entries

One particularly satisfying way to participate and miss the uncertainty of the lottery is to sign-up to become a Charity Race Entry Participant. To qualify as a Charity Race Entry Participant, just raise $500 dollars for our official race charity, Children's Miracle Network. Every dollar raised will be donated to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, a network of 170 non-profit children’s hospitals located across North America.

More information about becoming a Charity Race Entry Participant will be posted here soon.

Volunteer Entries

Unfortunately, we are not able to give guaranteed entries to those who registered to volunteer for the 2020 race. Since the race was cancelled due to COVID-19, no volunteers were utilized. We hope that you will volunteer for the 2021 event, which will give you a guaranteed entry to the 2022 event. Click Here for more details on volunteering.

Seeded Runner Entries

Top open and age-group runners are eligible for guaranteed entries and special seeded numbers. Qualifying times for seeded runners are posted at http://www.cherryblossom.org/theraces/elite.php#seeded. Contact Seeded Runner Coordinator Sara Baugh at [email protected] for details.

100 Mile Club Entries

One Hundred Mile Club members must enter the lottery. One Hundred Mile Club members have completed at least 100 miles in any combination of the 10 mile or the 5K results (i.e. 10 completions of the 10 mile equals 100 miles; 9 completions of the 10 mile and four completions of the 5K equals 102 miles, etc.), either in a row or non-consecutively. If you are a One Hundred Mile Club member and you do not get in through the lottery, you can gain a guaranteed "One Hundred Mile Club" entry, which will be accepted if submitted before July 20, 2021. If you are rejected in the lottery and feel you qualify, please send an email to [email protected]. If you are uncertain if you qualify, you can check your status on the revised All-Time Searchable database, available at http://www.cballtimeresults.org/. Remember, please do not apply for a "One Hundred Mile Club" guaranteed entry unless you are rejected in the lottery. One Hundred Mile Club requests received before the lottery results are posted will not be considered. Note: Submitted Virtual Run results from 2020 are included in determining membership into the One Hundred Mile Club.

Two-Time Loser (TTL) Entries

TTL entries (those who have entered the lottery twice before and failed to be accepted in either year) will be sent out in late May, prior to the opening of the lottery on June 1. You don't need to do anything - we know who you are!

TTL eligibility will be determined based on the results of the 2019 and 2020 lotteries.

Ten Mile Time Limit

NOTE: Runners and walkers who expect to take longer than 2 hours and 20 minutes (net time) to complete the 10 Mile must enter the 5K Run-Walk. We will close the 10-mile course at 5 miles to runners who are running or walking at over a 14-minute-per-mile pace. You will be required to leave the course at this time. In addition, sweep vehicles will pick up runners on the second half of the course who fall behind a 14-minute-per-mile pace. The large number of tourists in town to see the cherry blossoms limits the length of time we can k.eep the streets closed. 5K Run-Walk participants will receive the same amenities as the 10 milers, including having your results posted on the website. The 5K Run-Walk is limited to 750 entrants and has a time limit of 65-minutes (about a 20-minute-per-mile pace).

E-Mail Notifications

Nearly all of the communications regarding the race will be done via email. Due to the high volume of emails, we cannot take time to fill out forms to get our messages past personal spam filters. To help make sure that our emails will reach you and will not be treated as spam, you should add the following email addresses to your "white list" or "safe senders" list or however your particular email program allows you to indicate particular email addresses that you want to receive email from:

Note: If you have ever requested to be removed from our mailing list for any reason, our email program does not allow us to add you back in. You will have to sign yourself up again. Just visit our Email Notification Signup page. If you have a problem, send an email to [email protected].

The 10 Mile is limited to 15,000 finishers; the 5K Run-Walk to 1,500 finishers.