The Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile—the Runner’s Rite of Spring

Early April is a time of renewal in Washington, D.C. It’s a time when days grow longer faster than at any other time of year; a time of cool mornings and warm afternoons; a time when sap is rising, trees are budding, and forsythia, azaleas, star magnolias, redbuds, Bradford pears, and cherries burst into bloom; a time to celebrate revival and rebirth, and it’s a time to kick off the surge of spring and early summer road races in the mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and Midwest of the U.S.

That’s where the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile & 5K, the “Runner’s Rite of Spring,” rises to the occasion with a spectacular venue for runners who ache to burst out of the winter doldrums.  It’ll be 51 years old in 2024—or should we say 51 years young, since in 2023 it underwent a facelift that made it more popular than ever. More popular? Last year in addition to 16,000+ finishers in the 10 Mile—after turning away 6,000 unlucky applicants to the lottery—there were  7,000 in the rebranded 5K, up from less than 3,000 finishers in previous years. In addition to those 23,000, hundreds participate in the Kids’ Run on Saturday, where children 12-years-and-younger scamper excitedly through the streets of downtown DC. 

The races fall in the middle of the three-week- long National Cherry Blossom Festival, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors. They come not just to enjoy the glory of 3,000+ cherry trees in bloom, but to tour monuments and memorials honoring people and events throughout American history. Within walking distance of the 10 Mile start and finish are ten memorials and museums: the Washington Monument which towers over the staging area, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, Vietnam Women’s Memorial, African American History Museum, Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial, and the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. The White House, at the back of the emerald expanse of the South Lawn, is within sight of the Monument Grounds. The area in and around the start/finish is a banquet of American history lessons.

But hey, you won’t have much time for sightseeing while you’re in the 10 Mile race, because it’s really fast. It’s almost flat, and temperatures range from an average of 45 at dawn to 65 in mid-afternoon (45 to 59 F, according to Runner’s Blueprint, is the “temperature sweet spot” for distance running). If you’re looking for a 10 mile personal best, your chances are excellent for finding it here. Among the top 10 men and women, personal bests have been set 48 times since 2017 (in the “super shoe” era)—and 27 times in the four years before super shoes, so you won’t need super shoes to get your PB.  

Moreover, in your results book you will see an age-graded quotient for the purposes of measuring your performance against elite runners as well as anyone else in the race relative to age. Online calculators such as runbundle.com can provide equivalent times at various distances. For example, a 10 mile time of 1 hour 30 minutes for a 60-year-old is the equivalent of 4:10 in a marathon against other 60-year-olds. 

Since its inception in 1973, the event has been the venue for multiple world and American records—the first being Julie Shea’s AR 57:04 in 1975, and the most recent being Hillary Bor’s AR 46:11 in 2023, besting by two seconds a 40-year-old record also set at Cherry Blossom by Greg Meyer in 1983. 

Bor’s feat won the 2023 U.S. 10 Mile Championships and took home $12,000 for first-place prize plus a $50,000 bonus for the American record.  Sara Hall at age 39 won the U.S. title in 52:37, edging out the 2021 champion Nell Rojas by a single second. 

The course is gorgeous and fast—especially miles 7-9 which are almost perfectly straight, perfectly flat, and flanked with cherry trees on both sides. But there’s more that makes it runner-friendly. Runners are welcomed with five water and medical aid stops manned by dozens of smiling volunteers, police and course marshals ensuring you stay on the course, and can’t-miss-it mile markers.

A rebranded 5K now takes place on Pennsylvania Avenue in downtown D.C. on the Saturday before the 10 Mile, with its own claim to an historic setting. It starts and finishes three blocks from the White House and with most of the course in plain view of the U.S. Capitol building. 

Moving the 5K to Saturday in 2023 instead of the traditional Sunday created a new challenge for adventuresome runners: the “Double Blossom” competition combining the 5K and 10 mile times, with its own T-shirt and medal. In its first year, 1,639 runners finished the Double Blossom.

The 5K start and finish at Freedom Plaza places it within walking distance of still more attractions steeped in American history: the National Art Museum, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, and Ford’s Theatre where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, hosting 650,000 visitors a year, and the National Building Museum (venue for the Expo on Friday night and Saturday). 

Blossoms, Memorials, and a fast course in the opening days of Springtime. You don’t want to miss it. Find details at www.cherryblossom.org.

All photos are property of the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile.