Cherry Blossom Press Release, April 18, 2008

WASHINGTON -- Drawing on team names derived from patriotic symbolism and a lighter way to run, Senate and House team winners of the annual Capitol Hill Competition at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run easily ran away with the best times in the “race within a race” contest.

“Red White and Blumenauer” (from the office of Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-OR) raced to the fastest House team time. “Ken’s Saladbar” (from the offices of Sen. Ken Salazar, D-CO) took fastest honors for Senate teams.

The Capitol Hill Competition is part of the 12,000-runner Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10-Mile Run – a “race within a race” -- which started and finished on the Washington Monument Grounds in Washington, DC on Sunday April 6. This year, more than 50 teams from House and Senate offices took part and nearly 400 Hill staffers completed the event.

Competing in the House of Representatives division, “Red, White and Blumenauer’s” three scoring runners, David Skillman (1:13:46), James Koski (1:13:56) and Katie Drennan (1:15:21), posted a total team time of 3:43:03 to easily eclipse “The Invisible Hand” team from the office of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) whose total team time was 3:55:45.

On the Senate side, the “Ken’s Saladbar” team’s three scoring runners, Andrew Yarborough (1:01:07), Matt Lee-Ashley (1:05:05), and Katharine Ferguson (1:20:31), combined for a total time of 3:26:43 to turn back the runner-up team, “Runn-Lugar,” from the office of Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), even more convincingly, winning by over 13 minutes (3:39:34).

Aside from showing off their road race prowess, the Capitol Hill Competition teams also use the opportunity of the race to strut their witty stuff by the names they choose for their squads in the “Best Team Name” competition.

Rep. Earl Blumenaur’s office showed it has the brains to go with its brawn as the “Red White and Blumenauer” team name won the House side of this competition as well.

Top team name honors on the Senate side went to the “We’ve Got ‘Em on the Run” team from the Senate Homeland Security Committee. (Click Here for the top three award-winning team name honorees.)

Top individual Capitol Hill finishers in the race were Clete Willems of Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) office with a time of 55:16 and Laura Thurston Goodroe from Sen. Mike Crapo’s (R-ID) office, who ran 1:11:02. Both were the defending individual champions.

The Capitol Hill Competition is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Credit Union National Association (CUNA), National Association of Federal Credit Unions (NAFCU), the Congressional Federal Credit Union and the United States Senate Federal Credit Union.

The Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run is sponsored by Credit Union Miracle Day, Inc. The 2008 event raised $1 million for the Children’s Miracle Network, bringing the total amount of dollars donated to $4 million since the Credit Unions became the title sponsor in 2002.

Best Team Name
HOUSE SIDE
1. Red White & Blumenauer, Office of Rep. Earl Blumenauer
    (D-OR)
2. On Your Markey, Office of Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-MA)
3. Pryce Gougers, Office of Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-OH)

SENATE SIDE
1. We've Got 'Em On the Run, Office of Senate Homeland
    Security Committee
2. Foreign Relaytions, Office of the Senate Foreign Relations
    Committee Democrats
3. Carper Diem, Office of Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE)

COMPLETE RESULTS
House Teams
Senate Teams
Individual Results - House
Individual Results - Senate