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The Runner’s Rite of Spring ®

limited to 2,230, with 500 disappointed runners turned Brown University, who set a U.S. women’s record of 55:34,
away. There was also a new sponsor - Union First Bank of was followed by five other women under 60 minutes.
Washington, which filled the breach when Acacia Mutual
Life decided to bow out. Maryland runner Dan Rincon won
the race in 49:44, while Julie Shea lowered her U.S. Women’s 1981 (April 5)
record to 56:08. Rodgers repeated again in 1981 with a 47:17 victory despite
windy, warm weather. Laurie Binder of San Diego led 11
1978 (April 2) women under the one-hour barrier with a 56:44 perfor-
The era of Perrier and Bill Rodgers began with the 1978 mance. A field of 4,500 entrants toured the course on a
race. When Union First failed to renew as a sponsor, race humid, overcast morning.
organizers found Perrier, which, in turn, brought in Rodg-
ers. Competing with a cold just one day after a race in Jack- 1982 (April 4)
sonville, Florida, Rodgers cruised to his first Cherry Blos- The 1982 race will be remembered as the War of the Winds,
som victory in 48:57 over a field limited to 4,000 entrants. as chill winds gusting up to 50mph slowed the entire field.
Jenifer White of Alexandria, Virginia, took the women’s title Terry Baker, a vocational education teacher from Hager-
in 56:35. stown, Maryland, took the lead with less than a mile to go
to upset defending champion Bill Rodgers by seven seconds
in 49:29. Eleanor Simonsick, a policy research consultant
living in Washington, broke the tape in 58:16 to give the
race its first pair of local winners. Only four male run-
ners broke the 50-minute barrier, and an equal number of
women finished under an hour.

1983 (March 27)
After the disastrous weather of 1982, ideal conditions
prevailed in 1983. On a cool, rainy morning with almost no
wind, both Greg Meyer and Eleanor Simonsick set event re-
cords in winning their respective divisions. Running alone
almost from the start, Meyer cruised to a 46:13 victory,
setting a World record, breaking the former event record by
56 seconds and beating his nearest rival by over a minute.
Overshadowed by Meyer’s performance was that of 31 other
Perrier became title sponsor in 1978 runners who broke 50 minutes for the distance.

1979 (April 1) Repeating her victory of 1982, Simonsick took the lead at
In 1979 the glamour of Rodgers led to a flood of race ap- three miles and kept adding to it, recording the fourth fast-
plications. Entries were closed on February 5, only a few est ten-mile time by a woman and breaking the event record
days after they had opened. Organizers Jeff Darman and Ed by almost two minutes in 54:46. Simonsick led 15 other
Murray begged unofficial runners to stay away as a massive female finishers under the one-hour barrier.
field chased Rodgers to another event record of 48 minutes
flat. Maryland schoolgirl Aileen O’Connor lowered the U.S.
record to 56:02 in the women’s race. 1984 (April 1)
The 1984 race brought several surprises. Perrier dropped
1980 (March 30) sponsorship, and Nike stepped in, adding prize money to
1980 brought two innovations: a lottery to choose race the race for the first time. A less pleasant surprise was the
entrants, and a star-studded field of invited runners. Over weather. Despite the bizarre conditions that have character-
12,000 applicants vied for 4,000 places in the lottery. Mean- ized this early spring event, no one anticipated a flooded
while, the spreading fame of the race attracted nearly 100 course. Heavy storms the previous week left the tip of Hains
runners capable of running ten miles in less than 53 min- Point under six inches of water, causing worried race of-
utes. When the race was over, Bill Rodgers had set a new ficials to consider shortening the course to 15 kilometers as
U.S. record of 47:09, and 24 other runners had gone under late as race morning.
50 minutes for the distance.
Prestige and prize money gave the Cherry Blossom its first
The women’s field was also impressive. Anne Sullivan of foreign winners. Olympic hopefuls Simeon Kigen of Kenya

2019 Credit Union Cherry Blossom Media Guide 53