February 11, 2025, Washington, DC: Organizers of the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile (CUCB) announced today that the event was awarded the USA Track and Field (USATF) 10 Mile Championships for American men and women in 2025 and 2026 by the USATF Long Distance Running (LDR) Committees pending contract approval by the USATF National Office. Having previously hosted the championships in 2023 and 2024, this will mark four consecutive years that the CUCB will be slated as the premiere 10 Mile event on USATF’s calendar.

“We are elated to host the USATF Men’s and Women’s 10 Mile Championships for the next two years,” said Event Director Phil Stewart. “The 2023 and 2024 championships resulted in two new American Records by Hillary Bor and a four-second miss of the American single- sex women’s record by Emily Durgin, so it’s clear that the championship designations bring out the top Americans primed to run fast. The event will include an international field as well, giving the Americans the opportunity to compete against many of the world’s top road racers who love the flat, fast course and the generous prize purse of over $100,000 including bonuses.”

This year is the sixth time one or more of the USATF 10 Mile Championships have been hosted by CUCB race organizers, with the 2026 event serving as the seventh time: the women’s championships were part of the 2013 event, while Cherry Blossom hosted both the men’s and women’s championships in 2014, 2021, 2023 for the 50^th Anniversary and again in 2024.

Past USATF 10 Mile champions crowned at CUCB include:

Year

2013

2014

2021

2023

2024

Men’s Champion

Not held  

Cristo Landry

Biya Simbassa

Hillary Bor

Hillary Bor

Women’s Champion

Janet Bawcom

Janet Bawcom

Nell Rojas

Sara Hall

Emily Durgin

“USATF is thrilled to announce that the Long Distance Running (LDR) Committees have selected Credit Union Cherry Blossom as host of the 2025 and 2026 USATF 10 Miler, pending contract approval,” explained Amy Begley, USATF Director of Long Distance Running Programs. “Washington, D.C. will provide the perfect occasion to showcase some of the country’s top distance runners as they race through the Nation’s capital.”

In 2025, the guaranteed American prize purse totals $42,600 split evenly between men and women, and the guaranteed international purse is $32,000, also split evenly between men and women. American runners placing in the top 10 overall are eligible to receive both open and American-only prize money.

Additional prize money is available for eligible athletes who break a World, American or Event record: $5,000 for a World or an American record and $3,000 for an Event record. Time bonuses and a team prize purse is also available. A full breakdown of the available prize money for the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile can be found here.

The event is the 4^th stop on the 2024-2025 PRRO Circuit of “America’s Classic Road Races.” Other circuit events include the Gate River Run 15K in Jacksonville, FL; the Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K in Spokane, WA; the Boilermaker Road Race 15K in Utica, NY; and Quad-City Times Bix 7 in Davenport, IA.

For the past 23 years, Credit Union Miracle Day has been the title sponsor of the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile and 5K, and the partnership with CUCB organizers and charitable runners has generated over $11.5 million for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The 2024 fundraising effort totaled $550,000, which included $169,000 that was raised by race participants.

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About Credit Union Cherry Blossom:

The Credit Union Cherry Blossom, organized by Cherry Blossom, Inc., a 501(c)(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 10 Mile is on the Washington Monument Grounds and the course passes in sight of all of the major Washington, D.C. Memorials. The 5K begins at Freedom Plaza and proceeds down Pennsylvania Ave. to the U.S. Capitol building, tracing the route of Presidential Inaugurations. 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, D.C.’s own Children’s National (“Children’s Hospital”). The event also provides a $6,000 purse for recent “graduates” of the Road Runners Club of America’s “RunPro Camp,” a program to teach top recently-graduated U.S. collegiate distance runners about life as a professional runner.

About Credit Union Miracle Day:

Credit Union Miracle Day, Inc., a consortium of credit unions and credit union suppliers, is the title sponsor of the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, 5K and Kids Run. Presenting sponsors include ASICS, the presenting sponsor of Saturday’s 5K, and Wegmans, presenting sponsor of the Health and Fitness Expo held in conjunction with packet pick-up. Supporting sponsors include PSCU|CO-OP Solutions, TruStage, Outside, Potomac River Running, Gatorade Endurance, Suburban Solutions Moving, Select Event Group, and United Lifestyle Brands. 

The 10 Mile is sanctioned by USA Track & Field and the Road Runners Club of America.

To learn more, visit https://www.cherryblossom.org/.

Please do not reply to this email; this address is not monitored. Please address all inquiries to Kristen Loflin at kloflin@cherryblossom.org.

Credit Union Cherry Blossom, Inc. | www.cherryblossom.org