• Metro: Getting to the race site by Metro is easy. We hope to have a large increase in the number of participants and spectators using Metro. The Smithsonian Metro stop (Orange and Blue lines - Mall exit) is only ¼ mile from the start and finish line. Metro will open at 5 a.m. on race morning, providing ample time for participants to take Metro from the outlying stops. If you wish to take a short warm-up to the race site, you can exit the Red, Blue, Orange lines at Metro Center (.9 of a mile to the start), the Yellow and Green Line at Archives/Navy Memorial (.9 of a mile to the start) or the Blue, Orange, Yellow and Green lines at L’Enfant Plaza (.8 of a mile from the start).

Getting to the Race by Other Means

• Driving: The road closures for the race course mean that there will be no parking south of Constitution Ave., NW. There will be no parking on either Jefferson Dr. or Madison Dr. along the Mall between 7^th St. and 14^th St. If you are determined to drive, suggested parking areas include Constitution Avenue and surrounding side streets north of Constitution Ave. Cars parked on the grass will be towed. Street closings begin as early as 4:00 A.M. Please do not plan to show up at the race site in a vehicle after 7:00 A.M. and expect to find parking anywhere in the vicinity.

• By bicycle: There will be a bike valet available at 14th and Independence Ave., SW. You may check your bike with race volunteers starting at 6:00 A.M. and retrieve it after the race, or leave it and enjoy the cherry blossoms, then retrieve it later in the day from National Park Service volunteers, who will staff the valet after 10:00 A.M. Do not lock bicycles to any of the race barricades or the locks will be cut off or the bicycles will be stored with the barricades until next spring.

Staging Area

The staging area for the 10-mile run is on the Washington Monument Grounds nearest the intersection of 15^th St. and Constitution Ave., NW. The staging area for the 5K Run-Walk will be on the Washington Monument Grounds on the Independence Ave. side in the vicinity of the Sylvan Theater. Click Here for a Staging Area Map.

Bag Check (opens at 6:15 A.M.)

10 Mile Run Bag Check opens at 6:15 a.m.

5K Race Bag Check opens at 6:30 a.m.

Both bag check tents close at 11:00 a.m.

To utilize the bag check, you must use the clear plastic bag provided at Packet Pick-up. We do not accept gym or duffel bags.  With a permanent marker, write your race number clearly in the space provided on the plastic bag.  Detach your bag check tag from your race number bib, slip the tag through the string of the bag and tie the string together to secure your tag.  Drop your bag off at the appropriate bag check tent (under the table listing your race number) on the Washington Monument Grounds:

10 Miler – Tent at the east side of 15^th Street between Constitution Ave and Madison Drive

5K Race – Tent near the 5k race start off Independence Ave.

You can retrieve your bag from the same location where you dropped it off before 11:00 a.m.

Please do not leave valuable items. Neither the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Race, its affiliates, nor its sponsors is liable for lost and damaged items.  

Using the Porta-Johns

There will be 175 porta-johns in the staging area. Please do not urinate anywhere else. We are guests in a National Park. Several years ago runners “relieved themselves” on the FDR Memorial, which was an embarrassment to the race organizers and nearly caused our permit to be revoked. Please use the porta-johns only! Staff porta-johns are intended to expedite getting volunteers back to their jobs. Please do not attempt to use “Staff” toilets. We ask that spectators and volunteers try to use the porta-johns either before 7:05 a.m. or after 7:40 a.m. so we can keep the race participant lines down to a minimum as the starting time approaches.

Courses

10 Mile: Flat and fast. USATF Certified (DC07001JS). Digital clocks at every mile. Water available at start, water and Gatorade Endurance Formula on the course and at the finish. DrinkMore Water, compliments of Navy Federal Credit Union, also available at the finish. Click Here for a Course Map.

5K Run-Walk: Flat and fast, out-and-back course. USATF Certified (DC08005JS). Click Here for a Course Map.

Runner Bib Number

Pin your bib number on the front of your shirt or shorts. Your bib number must be visible at all times during the race or you may be subject to disqualification. Please complete the important emergency medical and contact information on the back of the bib and make note of the special discount coupon from Potomac River Running, our official retail partner.

Starting Times

7:30 a.m. - Special start for about 30 of our elite women 10-milers 7:39 a.m. - Wheelchair race start
7:40 a.m. - First wave of the 10-mile race
7:55 a.m. - Final wave of the 10-mile race
8:15 a.m. - Kids' Run Start
8:40 a.m. - 5K Run-Walk Start

The 10-Mile starting line will close at 8:00 A.M. sharp. No one will be allowed to start the race after this time.

Seeding Runners

Runners have been pre-assigned to starting corrals based on your projected finishing times. Click Here for information about the Wave Start.

Wearing the D-Tag

Be sure you have removed the D-Tag from your bib number and affixed it into the laces of your running shoes as outlined in the instructions in your Goodie Bag. Please dispose of the pull-off backing in a trash receptacle. (It is not yet made of recyclable material.) You must wear your D-Tag during the race or you will not be scored. The D-Tags are single-use, but can be recycled after the race. There will be recycling bins for the D-Tags located on 15^th St. just prior to the post-race food and water area.

Teams

No team check-in on race day. Teams are scored by net time. Unfortunately due to number switching, team results will not be announced on race day.

The Finish Line

There will be a large digital clock at the finish line. When you cross the finish line and the series of transponder mats that determine your net time, keep moving. This allows room for others to complete their runs. Do not re-enter the course or cross the chip mats at the finish a second time.

Timing and Time Limits – Strictly Enforced!

With the wave start, all runners except those finishing among the top 25 men and women will be scored and placed based on net times. All runners must complete the course in less than 2 hours and 20 minutes. Runners not maintaining a 14-minute-per-mile pace at 5 miles will have to leave the course. If you fall behind 14-minute-per-mile pace during the second half of the race you will be required to board our sweep vehicle. Timing and scoring at the finish line will be discontinued 2 hours and 20 minutes after the final wave starts. If you have any doubt about your ability to finish 10 miles in less than 2 hours and 20 minutes, please complete the switch form at http://www.cherryblossom.org/switch_form.asp. 

Safety Rules

• No headphones allowed. Running with a dog, baby stroller or racing stroller is prohibited. No skates allowed.

• Stay on the roadway at all times. You will be disqualified if you “cut” the race course.

• Race officials reserve the right to remove any runner from the course for medical or any other valid reason.

• We discourage spectators from bringing pets. However, if a spectator accompanying you brings a dog to the race site, please be sure it is leashed at all times and kept well clear of the start/finish area and off the course. Spectators must stay off the course for their own safety and for the safety of our 15,000 runners.

• Be careful of potholes and the transponder mats on the course and at the start and finish.

Cheating

Video security personnel and scorers will monitor the course at various points to ensure that all finishers run the designated course. Marshals will note persons entering or leaving the course and our judges will review the evidence to consider disqualifying those individuals.

Cheaters will be banned from future editions of the race at the discretion of the Race Committee.

Treatment of Volunteers

The race committee will not tolerate inconsiderate behavior toward any of our 1,300 volunteers. Anyone treating a volunteer official in an abusive manner will be immediately disqualified from the race.

Drug Testing

Athletes who participate in this competition may be subject to drug testing in accordance with the IAAF Procedural Guidelines for Doping Control or the Olympic Movement Anti-Doping Code. The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) will carry out drug testing, and the adjudication of positive findings. Athletes found to have committed a doping violation will be disciplined according to the USADA Protocol and suspended, if appropriate, according to applicable IAAF rules. Such penalties may result in a period of
ineligibility as well as disqualification from the event. Any substance taken by an athlete is at his/her own risk and may result in a positive sample. (This includes cold medicines, nutritional supplements, and some over the counter medicines.) Information on banned drugs and drug testing may be obtained by calling the USADA Drug Reference Hotline at 1-800-233-0393 or at the
USADA website, www.usantidoping.org.

5K Run-Walk

Participants in this event will be timed using the ChronoTrack system and will receive all the race amenities. Results will be published in the post-race results publication. The 5K Run-Walk starts and finishes on Independence Ave. about 200 yards west of the intersection of 15th St. and Independence Ave. Staging for the 5K will take place on the Washington Monument Grounds adjacent to the 5K start-finish line. The event will start at 8:40 a.m. There is a 65-minute time limit for the 5K Run Walk (about 20 minutes per mile pace). No headphones, dogs, baby strollers or racing strollers, or skates are allowed in the 5K.

1K Kids’ Run

The Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run is not just for grown-ups! We offer a non-competitive 1K run for kids ages 6 through 12 on the Washington Monument Grounds on Sunday, April 5, the same day as the ten mile. No pre-registration is required for this event and the event is free. Parents show up with their children, register, sign a waiver and the kids are set to run.

Start Time: The event will start at 8:15 a.m.

Location: The event will start on the Constitution Ave. side of the Washington Monument Grounds about halfway between 15th and 17th Sts. Signs and announcements will direct children and their parents to the start.

Registration: The kids’ run is free but all children must be registered. Registration will be at the race site, beginning at 7:30 a.m. Parents or legal guardians of all participating children must sign a waiver prior to the start.

Awards: No times or places will be kept, but all finishers will receive a medal.

Important Changes and Reminders for 2010

Expo/Packet Pickup Information

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Number Pickup

Race Day Instructions

Post-Race Instructions

Medical Instructions